Childhood Memories
by WhiteChedda
Summary: Allison Cameron and Gregory House meet each other on a base camp when they are really young. They are soon separated, but years later, fate brings them back together...
1. Chapter 1

June 7, 1980, it was the day the enemies bombed Johnson Base Camp. If one were to take a tour of the base camp today, it would be cold and desolate. The only hint of previous inhabitants being that of shredded tarps from the barracks strewn all over the trees, muddy dented cans of food scattered across the uneven ground, and the unmistakable craters left by the bombs, lined with pieces of clothing and shrapnel. The fateful day will forever be etched into the minds of the soldiers who fought and died that day trying to save their families, and it will forever be etched into the mind of Allison Cameron.

It was just like any other day on a base camp. Allison, then 5 years old, had been to at least five other camps before this one. Her dad, Mark Cameron, was an important sergeant for the army, so they never stayed on the same base camp for more than a month. Despite her mother's encouragement, Allison was always hesitant in making friends, because she knew that her time on camp was short. However, this time was different. This time Allison would form an unbreakable bond with a one Gregory House.

Gregory House...he was no stranger to the life of a son of a Colonel. It was all he had known, since the day he was born. Just like the Camerons, the Houses never stayed on one camp for too long. His dad always being called away. Yeah, sure, Greg made friends, but they weren't the friends you could tell your deepest darkest secrets to or the friends that will get arrested with you, so you guys can laugh it up later in jail. They were "expendable" friends. When money went missing from a soldier's wallet, Greg blamed it on Billy. When a soldier woke up to shaving cream on his face, Greg blamed Johnny. However, when Greg stepped foot on the grounds of Johnson Base Camp, everything changed. This time he would become true friends with a one Allison Cameron.


	2. Chapter 2

Gregory House was just ten when he met Allison Cameron. Allison was wearing a red polka dot dress with dirty white sneakers. She had pigtails with red ribbons on each side that cascaded down into her shiny brown hair. Allison was busying herself in the dirt trying to build a makeshift sandcastle. She had gotten a bucket and some water from her mom. Grasping the handle of the big bucket with both hands, she had walked out into the yard, water swishing back and forth. When she finally found a spot in which to build her castle, a visible trail of water could be seen behind her making its way to the barracks.

While all this was happening, Gregory House was throwing a lacrosse ball up against one of the concrete barriers. On one particular throw, the ball hit the wall too high and bounced over his head. He took off after it. It rolled across the ground, through some bushes, and stopped when it hit a white sneaker.

Allison was squatting, filling up the bucket with dirt, when the ball hit her shoe. She grabbed it with her little hand and looked up, trying to figure out where it had come from. All of a sudden, a boy flew threw the bushes, making leaves fly everywhere. She screamed and threw the ball at the stranger, hitting him right square in the eye.

"Owww! Why did you do that?"

"You scared me. Who are you?"

"I asked you first."

"My name is Allison. What's yours?"

"Gregory, but you can call me Greg."

"Well, in that case, you can call me Ally."

"Nice to meet you, Ally," Greg said as he shook her hand roughly. He had a black Who shirt on, which now had a visible hole right below the armpit. It obviously had gotten caught on one of the branches and ripped. He had on tight wrangler jeans and black converse sneakers. His hair was all in a tizzle with pieces of leaves and branches sticking out of it.

"Hehehe..." Ally covered her mouth and tried to stiffle her laughter.

"What's so funny pea brain?"

"You got leaves in your hair."

Greg bent over, took both hands, and brushed them fiercely through his hair as pieces of leaves and twigs fell to the ground.

"So, am I cute now?"

"Ewww, boys aren't cute. They have cooties."

"Cooties? Wow! You really are a pea brain."

"Hey, don't call me that."

"Fine, but if you want your ribbon back, you're going to have to find me and give me a kiss on the cheek."

And with that, in one swift movement, Greg snatched one of Ally's ribbons and took off.


	3. Chapter 3

Greg ran past the barracks towards a group of tires. Before he reached them, he stuck the ribbon in his pocket, so he wouldn't lose it. When he came face to face with the tires, he slipped in between some stacks and crouched down.

Ally was slow on the start. Her shoe was untied, but she made up for it when she realized Greg had stepped in her trail of water and left footprints through the dirt. She decided to take her grand old time and make him suffer a little bit. It was the least she could do, since he stole her ribbon. Ally was a few feet away from the stacks of tires, admiring the scenery, when she heard a whizzing noise overhead. She looked up and before she had time to react, a slender object hit the humvee about 500 feet from her and exploded. The shock threw her body against the tires and they collasped on top of her.

Greg was giggling to himself when he heard a buzzing noise above him. He peeked out from behind the tires and saw Ally staring over in the direction of the Humvee. Before he knew it, there was a loud explosion. He ducked and hid among the tires. After some of the smoke cleared, he popped his head out to find Ally nowhere in sight. He ran from behind the tires and began screaming her name.

"Ally! Where are you? Ally!"

Soon there was another explosion, this time by the spot where he had met Ally for the first time. It knocked him off his feet, and he hit his head on a rock, knocking him out. After a couple of minutes, he fluttered his eyes open and came to. He looked around and noticed a little white sneaker beside his head, peeking out from underneath a tire. _Ally, he thought._ He forced himself in between the tires, pulling and tugging on them as best he could. He removed the top tire and threw it to the ground. Underneath he could see the blood soaken face of Ally. This aroused some sort of animal instinct within him. He began pulling the tires away like they were nothing. As if they weighed as light as feathers. He reached Ally, scooped his hand under her neck and began to shake her.

"Ally, wake up. Come on, Ally."

Sweat poured from Greg's brow as he tried to wake Ally. As he looked at her, he realized her polka-dot dress was no longer white, but stained with blood. Her hair was drenched in sweat. Ally wasn't waking up. Greg looked around him and saw soldiers scattering left and right. He tried to call out for help, but his own voice was drowned out by the voices of the soldiers, sounds of gunfire, and feet stamping against the hard dirt.

"Please, Ally, wake up," Greg whispered as he leaned down and brushed her cheek with his lips, wiping away the dirt that covered her cheek. And as if by some miracle, her body began to stir. Her eyes fluttered open.

"Ally, don't worry. We're going to get you help."

She tried to speak, but she couldn't. She gurgled and could taste the blood in her mouth. Fear cast over her eyes and she began to cry. Greg knew it was bad. He had seen his dad's friends injured before. Although his father never knew he did, Greg used to sneak into his dad's box of pictures and look at them. Most of them were of battles he fought in, but there were some that depicted images of his friends dying.

"Don't worry, I won't leave you. Help! Somebody!"

"Allison?!?!? Where are you?" Greg could hear the faint cry of a woman and assumed it was Ally's mother.

"Over here! Ally's here!"

Mrs. Cameron came running up and knelt by her daughter.

"What happened to her?"  
"Well, we were playing and there was this explosion and..." Greg was interrupted by a tall dark handsome man. His face and hands covered in dirt.

"Honey, we got to go. We HAVE to get out of here."

Mark Cameron, scooped his daughter up and held her against his chest, her chin laying on his shoulder. Not a second later, Greg felt hands clasp underneath his arms and lift him up off his feet. His dad had come up behind him and picked him up. As the two fathers made their way in opposite directions, Greg and Ally stared after eachother, until they were no longer within eyesight.


	4. Chapter 4

Dr. Gregory House shot up in his bed and wiped the sweat from his brow. His breathing was rapid and shallow. He hadn't slept all night and when he had, his mind took him back to that day 26 years ago. He can still recall the way the sun shown through the clouds. The way the soft breeze tingled his nose hairs. And how that beautiful image was destroyed within minutes. It was all too vivid and he wanted to forget it, but had a feeling he never would. He sensed that he needed some sort of resolution for what occurred on that fateful day, because his mind kept bringing him back to the base camp.Back to the tires. Back to sitting on the ground with an injured Ally in his arms. Back to the last time he saw her. He'll never forget her green bluish eyes staring after him and trying to tell him something.

_House's dad took him away from the base camp that day and never returned. His dad was relocated, and Greg was back to living the only life he knew. One that consisted of no friends, pets, cars, or girlfriends. He got his schooling done fairly early and left his military life to go attend John-Hopkins, where he became a Board Certified Diagnositician with a double specialty of infectious disease and nephrology. He was now Head of the Diagnostics Department at Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital in New Jersey. _

His alarm brought him back to reality. He glanced at it, 9:00 am. He shut it off, grabbed his cane from chair, and headed to the bathroom. After taking a shower, he grabbed some clothes from the floor and got dressed. He limped to the door, but stopped at the table. He glanced over at a picture of him when he was 10 at Johnson Base Camp. His parents always took pictures of him at every base camp they went. He kept this one in particular because it reminded him of Ally. He grabbed the red ribbon that was tied around the frame, slipped it into his pocket, grabbed his keys, and headed out the door.


	5. Chapter 5

Dr. Allison Cameron awoke in a sweat to her alarm clock, which read 8:30 am. She had dreamt about the day she met Greg and about the unfortunate circumstances in which they did meet. She had hit him in the face with a lacrosse ball. In return, he stole her ribbon and ran off. She went looking for him and before she knew it, she was stuck under a heap of tires. Greg dug through the tires and held her in his arms, until her parents came. He had saved her. She'll never forget the blue eyes staring after her with a noticeably black and blue bruise beginning to appear under his right eye where she had hit him. She tried to tell him something, but she couldn't talk. Instead, she spoke with her eyes and hoped he understood.

_Cameron's dad took her and her mom away from the base camp that day and rushed Allison to the nearest camp. She was bandaged up and flown to the nearest hospital for emergency surgery. She was hospitalized for the next two months with a broken leg, a few fractured ribs, head trauma, and internal bleeding. Her father decided it was not worth the risk of getting his family killed to stay in the army, so he retired and moved his family to Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Cameron had a fairly normal childhood. Nothing to remind her of her traumatic experience except for a few scars here and there and the dreams, which have now suddenly returned. She went to medical school and studied to become an immunologist. After medical school, she did an internship at the Mayo Clinic._

Cameron eased herself off the bed and wiped the crust from her eyes. She went into the bathroom and took a shower, letting the hot water splash against her face. She wanted to forget about that day so badly, but she couldn't, because she always wanted to remember Greg.

She hopped out of the shower and headed towards her closet. She grabbed a new crisp navy blue suit with a white blouse and laid it on her bed. She went back into the bathroom and blew her hair dry. Her brown curls scattered across her shoulder blades. She applied her makeup making her eyes especially green today. When she was done, she got dressed and strapped on some white heels. Cameron grabbed her keys, and headed towards the door, but not before one more look in the mirror. With a vote of confidence, she opened her door, locked it, got in her car, and headed towards Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital, where she would be interviewing for a fellowship position.


	6. Chapter 6

House strolled through the doors of PPTH already annoyed. He hadn't gotten an ounce of sleep that night and he couldn't shake the memories from his head. He limped towards the elevator and pushed the button with his cane. As he was waiting, he could see Cuddy out of the corner of her eye making her way towards him rather quickly. He started to press the button over and over hoping the elevator door would open faster. Too late...

"House! You're late again."

"Rough night. Paula was over and she did this new thing with her tongue, where she licked my..."

"Please, House, spare me the details. Here." Cuddy thrusted a stack of folders in House's hand.

"What are these for?"

"You have your interviewees today for the fellowship opening."

"I'm not doing it. Have Wilson do it."

The elevator doors opened and House limped in. He pressed the button to close the doors, but Cuddy stopped them with her hand.

"You're going to do these interviews, because it's YOUR department. I better not see Wilson or one of your lackeys doing it. Oh and by the way, you can do two clinic hours today. Think of it as an early Christmas present." Cuddy stepped away from the door with a grin on her face, because for the first time she got in the last word or so she thought.

House yelled from inside the elevator just before the doors closed, "My early Christmas present was that wonderful view of your funbags your shirt gave me!" And with that the doors closed. Cuddy smirked and headed off to her office, while House was on his way to the diagnostic chambers.

House pushed open the glass door to his office and threw his backpack onto the couch. He stumbled into the differential room, where Foreman and Chase were working on a word puzzle together.

Chase:"What's a 4 letter word for ill?"

Foreman: "Sick."

"Hello, my little helpers. Santa's come early this year." House threw the stack of folders onto the table and made his way over to the coffee machine.

Foreman: "House, these are the applications for the fellowship opening."

"Yeah, you didn't think I actually had a patient did you."

Chase: "Well..."

"That wasn't a question. Anyway, look them over, your first applicant should be here in fifteen minutes."

Chase: "No way, Cuddy already talked to the both of us and said that if we did the interviews, we would have to do 6 more clinic hours this week."

"Ewww." House took a sip from his red mug and spat the coffee right back. "Who made this? No, wait on second thought, nevermind. Well guess what Flava Flav and Mr. Crowe? You're still going to have to do extra clinic hours, because you're going to go do mine." House threw two name tags at them and Foreman and Chase angrily made their way down to the clinic.

With his fellows gone, House took on the task of making a fresh batch of coffee. He filled the pot with water and poured some water into the top. He grabbed a filter from the top of the coffee machine and placed it in the holder. House snatched a bag of French roast, poured it in, and turned it on. After a few minutes, he had a freshly brewed cup of coffee. He took a sip. It still wasn't the best, but it had to do, right now he needed to go over the applications, because his first applicant would be arriving any minute.


	7. Chapter 7

Cameron hesitantly made her way into PPTH that morning. She was so nervous. She was about to be interviewed by the world's leading diagnostician and on top of that she couldn't stop thinking about her dream. She was worried that she wouldn't be able to focus during the interview. As she made her way through the clinic doors, Cameron shyly walked up to the front desk to ask where Dr. House's office was.

"Hello, I'm Dr. Cameron. I'm here for the interview with Dr. House. Can you tell me where his office is?"

While Cameron was talking to the receptionist, Chase watched from behind a pillar. He couldn't believe how beautiful this young woman was. He was taking in every ounce of her attractiveness. Her long silky hair that covered her shoulders. The way the milky skin on her legs shone in the light. She was something special and he knew it.

Cameron glanced to look around the hospital searching for the elevator, when their eyes met. Chase was drawn in, and immediately made his way towards her.

"Hello, I'm Dr. Chase and whom might you be?" taking her hand into his.

"Hello, I'm Dr. Cameron."

"It's a pleasure to meet you. And may I ask what a lovely creature like yourself is doing in a place like this?"

Cameron's cheeks began to burn with redness as Chase said this. She thought he was dashidly handsome and she couldn't shake away the accent. She found him utterly fascinating and her heartached to learn more.

"Well, I'm here for the fellowship opening."

Chase couldn't believe his ears. He couldn't comprehend the fact that if House were to hire her, they would be working together everyday, side by side.

Chase tried to play down his excitement and calmly engaged her into further conversation.

"Really? I work for Dr. House. I'm an intensivist. What is your field?"

"I'm an immunologist."

"That's fantastic. We could use you on our team. I have to warn you though, Dr. House, isn't exactly Little Miss Sunshine. He's how you say, a misanthropic ba$tard. And I say that in the nicest way possible."

"Hehehe...so the rumors are true."

"Indeed, they are. Here, let me show you to his office."

Chase took his forearm and laced it in between hers. They both glanced at eachother and smiled as Chase led her to the elevator and up to Dr. House's office.


	8. Chapter 8

House just finished looking through the applicants, when he plugged his i-pod in and turned on some Rollingstones. He leaned back in his chair, propped his legs on the desk, and closed his eyes. He was soon lost in the music. His hand swaying left and right as it captured the beat.

Wilson watched this from outside the office and quietly made his way in. He plopped down in the chair in front of House's desk and just stared at him. Sensing the presence of someone in the room, House popped one eye open and looked in front of him.

"Well, if it isn't lil boy wonder. Come to share your feelings?"

"By feelings you mean the fact that you've been an arrogant ass this whole week."

"Jimmy, if you wanted to look at my ass so bad, all you had to do was ask. I know these jeans make it look big and all but..."

"Shut up, House. I'm only here, because Cuddy is making me supervise your interviews to make sure your behavior is somewhat decent to say the least."

"Awww, Wittle Ol' Wilson, get his feelings hurts?"

Wilson decided to completely ignore House's last comment and not feed into his behavior.

"Are you even prepared for your first interview? Do you know their name? Field of Medicine? Anything?"

"Dr. Allison Cameron, Immunologist. Did an internship in the Mayo Clinic. She's about 5'2, sandy blondish hair, blue eyes, and a hot bod. Her interests include long walks on the beach, basking in the moonlight, and eating sushi. "

"You read her personnel file?!?"

"Oh, relax, Jimmy. I made that last part up. Plus, I didn't have time to read her personnel file. All I know is that she's an immunologist. She did an internship at the Mayo Clinic and her name is Dr. Allison Cameron."

House paused for a second deep in thought as Wilson mumbled some unintelligent words. That name got his mind thinking again. House tuned out Wilson as he began to relive that day once more.

"Ally, wake-up. Come on, Ally."

"House?"

"Ally, please wake up."

"HOUSE!"

"What? Oh, jesus Wilson, you don't have to yell."

"Well, clearly I did, because just saying your name on a decent audible level wasn't getting your attention. Where were you just now?"

"Sitting in my desk, listening to you."

"Really? What did I say then?"

"You said you were thinking about asking out the new nurse in Obstetrics."

"First of all, there is no new nurse in Obstretics..."

"Well, you would be the first one to know."

"SECOND of all, I'm going out with Cuddy."

"Seriously?"

"No. I was trying to tell you that Chase paged me to tell you that he was coming up with your first applicant. I'm assuming you left your pager at home again?"

"Yeah, there's been a lot on my mind."

"You want to talk over it at lunch? I'll buy."

"Sure, Jimster, but first, I have to do this interview."

House collected the first folder into his hands and glanced over it once more. When he looked up he could see the shadows of two figures stepping towards his office.


	9. Chapter 9

As Chase and Cameron rounded the corner, the skin just above her pelvis began to vibrate.

"Sorry about that."

Chase removed his arm from Cameron's, pushed his lab coat aside, and grabbed the beeper from his belt loop. Emergency Clinic

"I'm sorry, but I have to..."

"Go. I know, I'm a doctor too."

"It was a pleasure meeting you. House's office is the second glass door on the left."

"Thanks for showing me. It was a pleasure meeting you too."

Cameron went in for a handshake, but Chase pulled her into a hug. It seemed awkward at first, but then Cameron's muscles relaxed and she felt safe. She hardly knew this man, but yet she felt content being him. Maybe it was the fact that he reminded her of her dead husband. She didn't know, all she knew was that she wanted to get to know him better.

Chase broke the embrace, smiled at her, and turned around. He headed toward the elevator. When he stepped in, he yelled back to her,

"I hope I get to see you around here more often."

Cameron smiled at his cute boyish charm, but before she could say anything, the doors closed. She mumbled two words under her breath that Chase would never hear,

"Me too."

Shaking the idea of Dr. Chase out of her head, Cameron straightened out her suit, and headed towards House's office.

Meanwhile, House was watching as the two shadows approached. A million thoughts running through his head. _What does she look like? She better not be wearing high heels, I can't stand high-maintenance women. Oh god, I hope she's not one of those who gets emotionally invested into a patient. That's all I need on my team. A damn Mother Teresa. I'm not going to hire her anyway because of her... _

"House, Cuddy needs you in the clinic."

"What?"

"There's an emergency in the clinic and Cuddy needs you."

"How do you know?"

"Uh...she paged me. You're losing it, House."

"Here. You have to do the interview for me." House thrusted the papers into Wilson's chest.

"But...but...House...I don't know what kind of person you want on your team."

"Just pretend she is one of those bald-headed cancer patients of yours and tell her the position has been filled. She'll hug and thank you and leave."

"The position hasn't been filled and Cuddy said you need to pick a new fellow or else she'll fire you."

"She won't fire me. I have tenure. Plus, I'm just that cool."..."Is your balcony door open?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Because I'm going to slip into your office and head down to the clinic."

"Can't you use your door?"

"I could, but then I would have to limp past the screaming groupies and you know how that is, clothes being ripped off left and right."

"You just don't want to see Dr. Cameron, because you feel bad."

"Bye, Jimmy" House stood up, grabbed his cane, and walked out onto the balcony, Wilson falling close behind.

"I knew it! You do feel bad."

"I feel bad, because I can't get you to stop following me." House made his way over the wall, separating the two offices. Wilson began to climb over the wall, but House smacked his hands with his cane.

"Owww...what was that for?" Wilson let go of the brick wall and rubbed his hands.

"Thanks, now I feel better." Wilson headed towards House's office and opened the door, but not before he heard House yell, "Lunch 1:00 pm. You're buying." Wilson would soon find out that the real reason House didn't want to see Dr. Allison Cameron was because her name brought back too many painful yet loving memories.


	10. Chapter 10

Wilson just sat down at House's desk and began to study Dr. Cameron's folder, when she came in. He heard the door open and looked up, his eyes meeting hers. He was instantly taken aback by her beauty. It was like nothing he had ever seen before. If he had to chose one word to describe her beauty it would be incomparable. Wilson could not turn her away now. He had to hire her. Not for himself, but for House. _Maybe she can chizel away at his icy heart. Hopefully, she has backbone to put him in his place. _

"Dr. House?" Cameron made her way towards the desk.

"N...No, I'm Dr. Wilson. I'm head of the Oncology Department here. Dr. House had an emergency and asked me to fill in."

Wilson got up to shake her hand and motioned for her to sit down. Cameron's eyes sunk into her eyelids.

"If you don't mind me asking, you seem sad. Are you alright?"  
"First of all, that's none of your business. Second, of all I was expecting to meet Dr. House, so yeah, I'm a little disappointed." _Perfect. _

"Sorry, for intruding...I was just a little concern..."

"No, no, I'm sorry. That was really rude of me. Great first impression huh? I just really wanted to meet Dr. House. I've studied some of his cases and he seems like he's a brilliant physician."

"That he is. He just lacks what you call "people skills". Other than that, he is the sun that melts the morning dew."

"So, I've heard." Cameron began to giggle. When she laughed, her lips drew back, exposing little glimpses of her white teeth. Wilson was captured by her irresistible smile. He had a hard time thinking of what to say next. He was so engrossed with her, that he had forgotten what she said. Then it hit him...

"Indeed it does. Anyway, let's get this over with. Hmmm..." Wilson glanced over the file as Cameron fidgeted in her chair.

"Well, I'm not going to lie to you. You have impeccable references. You're previous employers have nothing but wonderful things to say about you. And to top it off, you did an internship at the Mayo Clinic. I think you're more than qualified for this job. I just have to ask you one question."

"No problem. Go ahead."

"Are you willing to work with the likings of Dr. Gregory House?"

_Gregory? Oh, that name. Why here? Why now? I wish you were here. I need to tell you something._

"Dr. Cameron?"

"Oh yeah, sorry about that. I just stared off for a minute. What was the question again?"

_What's with people spacing out today, jeez._ "I asked if you would be willing to work with the likings of Dr. Gregory House?"

"Dr. House doesn't scare me, and I'm more than willing to put up with him." _She's going to be better than I thought. _

_"_ Well, let me be the first one to congratulate you. I think you will be a wonderful addition to House's team."Wilson lifted himself from the chair and reached over the desk to shake hands with a more than excited Cameron.

"Thank you so much for this opportunity."

"Your welcome. You start tomorrow morning at 8:30. It was nice meeting you."

"You too, Dr. Wilson. I hope I get to see you around."

"You will. Trust me. As long as there's a Dr. House at this hospital. I won't be far behind."

"Well, thank you again." Cameron turned her heels to head out the door, when she was stopped by Wilson's voice.

"Ummm...Dr. Cameron before you go, I hope this doesn't seem impolite, but would you like to join me for a drink tonight?"

"As a matter of fact, that would be great."

"Good. You know where Flannigan's Tavern is?"

"Is it the one right one Olive and Sunrise?"

"That's the one. Meet you there at 9?"

"Sounds like a plan. Bye, Dr. Wilson." With that, Cameron made her way out the door and left the hospital for the rest of the day until tomorrow morning, when she would be returning to start her new job.


	11. Chapter 11

Wilson waited for the click of Cameron's heels to fade down the hallway, before looking down at his watch, 1:15. _House, is going to kill me. First, I hired Dr. Cameron when he told me not too, and now I'm late for lunch. _Wilson ran out of House's office and headed for the stairs. He had no time to wait for the elevator. Wilson made it to the first floor, pushing the stairwell doors open. He rounded the corner right, tripping over something and falling flat on his face. He lifted himself off of his stomach and sat on the ground. His head hurt and he felt dizzy. He turned around to see what he had tripped over. His vision became blurry, so he rubbed his eyes in hopes of restoring his sight to normal. They faintly made out what looked to be like a long slender object. As his eyes came into focus, he realized he had tripped over a wooden cane.

"What the hell, House?"

"I'm sorry, were you in a hurry?"

"Can you just help me up, please?"

"Cripple, remember?" House said as he lifted his cane and showed Wilson.

"You're impossible. Let's just go get lunch." Wilson pushed himself up off of the ground with his hands, stood up, and brushed his lab coat with the palm of his hands.

"I'd thought you'd never ask." Wilson just glared at House, but House stood there unfazed.

House and Wilson walked into the cafeteria and made their way down the lunch line. House grabbed his usual reuben with no pickles and Wilson decided on a small garden salad with a hint of vinaigrette dressing.

"I've got a plan."

"What?"

"You jump the cashier and distract her, while I grab our food and run out the door."

"You can't run, House."

"That's not helping my self-esteem. Just jump the cashier." Wilson hadn't noticed that they had made their way up to the cashier before he blurted out,

"I will NOT JUMP the cashier!" Staring into House's eyes, he realized House moved them to the right, signaling to Wilson to look in front of him. As Wilson slowly swung his head around, he saw an angry cashier staring directly into his face.

"I've got to apologize for my friend here. He hasn't gotten any in awhile and he's just desperate. Where's your manners, Wilson?" Turning his head to look at Wilson. After this, House walked away, making his way to a corner table that was secluded from everyone else and kept out of view by some fake plants.

"That'll be ten dollars."

"Here's a twenty."

"Good day, sir."

"Where's my change? You owe me ten dollars."

"I don't owe you nothing, sir. NEXT!"

"You know what? Forget it. Keep the change." Wilson stormed off in the direction of House and plopped down on the opposite side of the table.

"You owe me ten dollars."

"I don't owe you anything. I never told you to jump her."

"Yes, you did. You specifically said that I should..."

"So how did the interview go? You let her down easy? Shed a few tears?" At the sound of House's comment, Wilson stuffed a huge fork full of fresh lettuce leaves into his mouth and clenched down. Salad dressing dripping down from the corner of his lips to his chin.

"I...ughhhiredd ghherr"

"You what?"

Wilson gulped down his food and answered this time so House could understand him.

"I hired her."

"WHAT?! Wilson I told you not too. It wasn't that hard all you had to do was say 'Sorry, the position has been filled. Thank you for your application. If there's another opening we'll let you know.' But you couldn't even do that?"

"Well, I was going to, but then she walked in. She is the most gorgeous woman I have ever seen."

"So you hired her to get into her pants?"

"No, I mean she's really easy on the eyes, but she was the most qualified out of all you applicants."

"I don't care if she is pretty. I don't care if she is the most qualified. I told you not to hire her!"

"What do you have against her? You haven't even met the girl, and you already hate her. What did she ever do to you?" With this House reached into his pant's pocket and snatched the ribbon, throwing it across the table at Wilson.

"This is what she did to me!"

"A ribbon? She gave you a ribbon?"

"She didn't give it to me, and it's not just a ribbon. It's Ally's ribbon."

"Who the hell is Ally?"

House tried to regain his composure, because he knew he couldn't escape from Wilson on this one. He had him backed into a corner like a scared puppy. He took one last bite of his Reuben, wiped the thousand island dressing from his lips, and began to recount the events of June 7, 1980. He told Wilson of the first time he met Ally and how she threw a lacrosse ball at his eye. House grazed the spot just below his right eyelid when he told Wilson, as if he could still feel the bruise. He told Wilson of how he stole Ally's ribbon and hid among some tires. He told him about the bombings and how Ally got trapped under a huge stack of tires. He described the way he tore through the tires trying to get to limp body. Wilson didn't know if it was just him, but he thought he detected small puddles of water forming in House's eyes when House told him about the last time he saw Ally and how her green eyes were trying to tell him something, but he didn't know what. He, then told Wilson why he didn't want to hire Dr. Cameron.

"You don't want her to work for you, because her name is Allison too?"

"Basically."

"Well, I'm going out with her tonight. Do you still want me to get rid of her?"

"You're going out with her? I knew you wanted to get into her pants."

"We are going out to have a drink as FRIENDS. I thought I would show her the ropes before she came into work tomorrow."

"No, don't fire her. You're right she is the most qualified, and I could use an immunologist."

"Just remember, House, the past is the past. You can't go back and change it. You need to forget about that day, and you need to forget about Ally. It's just going to ruin your train of thought and possibly hinder your diagnostic skills."

"You're right, Jimbo. I need to forget about it. Can I have the ribbon back though? I'm not ready to get rid of it yet."

"Sure." Wilson handed the ribbon to House. As if both could sense eachother's readiness, they sat up, emptied their trays, and headed out the door. Wilson headed off in the direction of his office to pack up and get ready to go for the night, while House headed to his office to take a much needed nap and get ready for the arrival of his new fellow tomorrow.


	12. Chapter 12

After leaving the hospital, Cameron had to run some errands before she went home to get ready for her night out with Wilson. When she parked her car across the street from her apartment, she glanced at her watch. It was now 6:30 , which meant she had about two hours to get ready. Cam crossed the street and took the back pathway to her apartment. She slipped the key into her door and unlocked it. She walked to the bedroom, throwing her purse on the couch along the way. Brushing past her dresser, she opened the closet. She proceeded to look for something to wear, gazing up and down at the shelves of clothes. Cam grabbed about every outfit in her closet and held it up against her body in front of the mirror. _Red dress? Too sexy._ She threw it over her bed. _How about this skirt and halter? No, too cold out._ She tossed it on the floor. _I got it! A pair of jeans ,a cream knit sweater, and my brown Gucci pumps. _She didn't want to overdo it, because she didn't want Wilson to get the wrong idea. Yeah, he was handsome and everything, but Dr. Chase seemed more like her cup of tea.

Cameron placed her outfit on her bed, slipped off her navy suit she had worn earlier to the interview, and went into the bathroom. She grasped the bathtub handle and turned the water on. As the rushing current rose up against the porcelain walls, Cameron tossed some bubble bath and salts into the water. When the tub was filled to her liking, she turned the water off and got in. She let her body gently slide down the moistened walls, bubbles engolfing her figure. She rested her head against the head of the tub and drifted off.

_There she was in a red polka dot dress, running after Greg, trying to get her ribbon back._

_"Greg, give it back!"_

_"You have to catch me first."_

_"Come on, Greg. That's my favorite ribbon." Greg gained more and more distance by the minute._

_"Slow Poke!!!!" _

_Ally was running as fast as she could when she tripped. She got dirt all over the bottom of her dress. As she sat up, she looked down at her shoe and noticed it was untied. She retied it and was so proud of herself for doing so. Her mother had just taught her the bunny ear method just the other day. She tilted her head up and looked in the direction that Greg was running. He was gone. As she stood up and wiped the dirt from her dress, she caught a footprint out of the corner of her eye. Greg had stepped in some water and left a trail. She began following them, stepping her feet into the impressions. The footprints led her to some stacks of tires and stopped right in front of a circle of tires. As she neared it, she heard a buzzing overhead, followed by a loud boom. Her body was thrown against the tires and the last thing she sees is a huge tire falling from the sky about to land on her. It's shadow casts over her body and the space between her and the big piece of rubber is getting darker and darker._

Just as the tire was about to hit her face, Cameron's body jolts, sending water and bubbles everywhere. They covered the walls, toilet, sink, everything. Cameron face was drenched in sweat. Her heart beating rapidly. Her breath shallow.

A tear left her lower eyelid and traveled down her cheek, creating its own path among the sweat. It was soon followed by another, then another, then all of a sudden, Cameron lost it. Tears poured from her eyes. She wiped them from her face, but forgot she had bubbles on her hands. Her eyes began to sting. She couldn't take it anymore. She hated going back to that day. _Why here? Why now? I have been fine for years and out of the clear blue, these dreams come back. _She was too afraid to even close her eyes. She didn't want to relive it anymore.

After awhile, she reasoned with herself to have a good time tonight and not let her past interfere with the present. Cameron regained her composure and grabbed her watch from the toilet lid, 8:00. _Oh, no! _She had only 30 minutes to get ready, because Flannigan's Tavern was at least a half an hour from her apartment. She sprang from the tub, grabbed her towel, and dried herself off quickly. She threw her hair up in a bun, pulled her clothes on, and put on some makeup. With one last look of herself in the mirror, she grabbed her purse, and ran out the door.


	13. Chapter 13

After lunch with House, Wilson finished up his rounds, then went to his office and gathered up his belongings. He threw a bunch of paper work into his brief case, turned the lights off, and locked the door. As he was making his way down the hallway, he passed House's office and peaked in. House was sleeping in his chair with his headphones on and drool dripping down from the corner of his mouth. Wilson shook his head and giggled to himself at the sight of House. _Typical. _He made his way into the elevator and out the doors of Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital.

Wilson got into his car and drove to the hotel he was staying at. It was 8:00 when he arrived. He had been held up at the hospital earlier by a new patient, so he didn't have much time to get ready. When it came to getting ready to go out, Wilson was your average woman. He washes his hair with shampoo AND conditioner. He clips his nails and polishes them with a clear coat. He blow dries his hair and plucks his eyebrows. In other words, he takes forever. However, he didn't have time to do that now. He had to be quick. When Wilson got to his hotel room, he immediately took a shower. He picked out a crisp green dress shirt, which brought out the green speckles in his eyes, and a pair of khaki slacks. He wanted to make a good impression on her, but not for himself. Sure, he wanted her to like him, but he was doing this for House. Ever since, Stacy left, House's behavior has just gotten worse. He is making everybody around him miserable. And his dreams aren't making it any better.

When Wilson was done, he checked his watch, 8:40. _Perfect. _He could get to the Tavern in less than twenty minutes. He grabbed his keys and headed out. As he pulled up to the curb, he could see Cameron waiting outside by the door. He got out of his car and approached her.

"Good evening, Dr. Cameron." Wilson laid his hand on her shoulder. An unsual gesture, but they had already met each other, so they needn't not shake hands, and they weren't exactly close enough to hug.

"Same to you, Dr. Wilson."

"Shall we go inside and sit down?"

"Just lead the way."

Wilson opened the door for Cameron and motioned for her to go in. He walked up beside her and lead her to the edge of the bar, where there were only two bar stools left. They sat down and waited for the bartender.

"What will it be?"

Wilson tilted his head to the left to look at Cameron. "What would you like Dr. Cameron?"

"I'll have a scotch on the rocks."

"Whoa! I never pictured you as a scotch drinking kind of girl." Wilson turned his head forward and looked at the bartender. "The lady will have a scotch, and I'll have a Harvey Wallbanger."

"Sure, no problem. They'll be up in a minute." The bartender made his way down the bar and started making their drinks.

"A Harvey Wallbanger?"

"Yeah, you never heard of it?"

"No, please ellaborate."

"It's a cocktail. It's a combination of vodka, Galliano, and orange juice. I'm surprised you have never heard of it considering you drink scotch. I thought you would know you're drinks."

"I know my scotches. Fruity little drinks like yours, not so much."

"Touche, Dr. Cameron." Both Wilson and Cameron laughed at each other's comments.

"Call me Allison. We're not in the hospital."

"Well, in that case, you can call me James or Jimmy. Either one is fine."

"So..."

"So..."

"Here are your drinks."

"Thank you." Wilson took a sip of his drink as soon as he got it. He felt a little uncomfortable. He had no clue on what to talk to Cameron about. He didn't want to pry into her personal life too much, but he needed to for House's sake. He needed to see if she was "available".

"You have a boyfriend?"

"No, I just moved here from Chicago not to long ago. My husband died of thyroid cancer that metasized to his brain. After his funeral, I wasn't coping as well as I thought, and I just needed to get out of there. When I heard there was a fellowship opening under Dr. House, I decided to seize the opportunity."

"Oh, I'm so sorry. I didn't kno..."

"No, don't worry about it. I find it is easier to just lay it all out on the line instead of keeping it bottled up inside."

"I know what you mean. Well, I never had a spouse die of cancer, but I see families of cancer patients everyday and it's just heartbreaking."

"Yeah, so what's up with Dr. Chase? Does he have a girlfriend?" _Dr. Chase? She's interested in Dr. Chase? Crap. What should I do? I want her to be with House. Well maybe not be with him yet, but at least go out on a date. Hmmm...Got it! _

"Last time I heard, he has a girlfriend."

"Really?" Cameron was dumbfounded. Chase had been so flirty when she met him, and he acted like he wanted to get to know her better. Hell, he held her arm and gave her a hug. _Am I missing something? _

"Yeah, I don't know her name, but I think she works at the museum. She restores paintings."

"That's cool. So what's your status?"

"I just got a divorce from my wife, Julie." Wilson thought it would be better not to tell her of his two other ex-wives. He didn't want her thinking he was some kind of player and lose her trust. "I'm staying in a hotel right now, because House kicked me out of his apartment."

"He kicked you out? Why?"

"Combination of things. I think sawing his cane in half was the last straw."

"You sawed his cane in half?"

"Well, he stuck my hand in water and I peed my pants." Wilson clasped his hands over his mouth after he said this. He regretted it so much. He made a complete fool out of himself in front of this beautiful woman.

"Hahaha! Sounds like some brotherly love."

"Yeah, I guess you could say that. House really isn't that bad of guy. He's a little on the cranky side. He can be a real bstard at times, but he does show some hints of humanity."

"I can't wait to meet Dr. House."

"Well, he's basically the reason I invited you out for a drink. Not that I don't enjoy your company, but I wanted to warn you. He's always been miserable, but he has gotten worse since his leg infarction and since the love of his life, Stacy, left him. I just wanted to tell you to take him in stride. He'll break rules. His methods will seem unconventional, but he does it because it's right." Wilson paused for a moment and what he said next, he said in hopes of getting Cameron to befriend House. "I believe that if he had someone in his life again, he would be dare I say it? happy."

"I'm sure he'll find someone. I like to believe everyone has a soulmate and when they meet that person, they'll know it immediately. Can I tell you a secret?"

"Yeah, go ahead."

"I met my soulmate when I was five."

"Are you kidding me? Five years old? Do you still talk to him? Do you know where he lives?"

"No, our friendship was short-lived, but when I laid eyes on him, my heart just melted. I knew it right then and there."

"What happened?"

"I don't really want to get into it if you don't mind. It brings back too many painful memories."

"I understand." Wilson checked his watched. "Wow, it's getting late. We better get going. You start tomorrow, and I wouldn't want you tired and hungover on your first day of work."

"Thank you for inviting me."

"My pleasure." Wilson paid the tab and they walked out. He gave Cameron a light hug and said his goodbyes. Breaking the embrace together, both turned and made their way to their cars and drove off.


	14. Chapter 14

Cameron awoke that morning with a little bit of a headache. Nothing a few tylenol couldn't take care of. She sat up in her bed, wiped her eyes, and slowly lifted her body off of the bed. She took a shower that morning, because she feared that she would fall asleep in the bath. When Cameron opened up the bathroom door, steam escaped through the crack. It lightly misted her face as it rose to the ceiling and dissipated. She stumbled onto the hardwood floor. The heat from her toes making footprints on the floor as she stepped out of the bathroom and towards her closet. She dragged her hand across the the rows of clothes, letting her finger tips glide across the soft fabrics. She finally picked out a black vest, a white ruffled blouse, and black slacks with some heels. She blew her hair dry, scrunching it to make it curly. It tumbled gently across her upper back, shielding her shoulders. After she put on some makeup, she gave herself a little pep talk and headed out the door to go to the hospital.

House stumbled into PPTH that morning not in a good mood. After his little discussion with Wilson at lunch, he went back to his office and took a nap. He woke up at 11:00 pm with his body half in the chair, half out of the chair. His headphone wire was wrapped around his neck, but no ipod attached. He bent down and saw the ipod on the floor. He assumed that he jerked his neck while he was sleeping and tore the wire out. He wiped his stubble when he yawned and could feel the dry crusted drool on his chin. By the time he got packed up and headed home it was 11:30. He didn't get home until 12:00 and by then, he was sulking in his own misery. He regretted telling Wilson about Ally. That wasn't him. He never opened up to anybody, because he was afraid to get hurt. He built these walls around him for a purpose and in an instant Wilson came and brought them down. House went into his liquor cabinet and grabbed a bottle of scotch. He headed towards his piano and sat down on the bench. He let his fingers glide along the keys and began to play Bittersweet Symphony.

_'Cause it's a bittersweet symphony, this life  
Trying to make ends meet  
You're a slave to money then you die  
I'll take you down the only road I've ever been down  
You know the one that takes you to the places  
where all the veins meet yeah _

House soon got lost in the music. His fingers pressing the ivory keys. His elbows making their way from the left to the right. All the while, thinking of Ally and her glossy green eyes.

_Well I never pray  
But tonight I'm on my knees yeah  
I need to hear some sounds that recognize the pain in me, yeah  
I let the melody shine, let it cleanse my mind, I feel free now  
But the airways are clean and there's nobody singing to me now_

House slammed his hands against the keys and a gut-wrenching sound echoed through his apartment. He had a splitting headache, but not from the last couple of glasses of scotch. He had a headache, because he couldn't get Ally out of his mind. She was like a parasite burrowing deeper and deeper into his skin. House managed to limp into his bedroom and pop a couple of vicodin. The vicodin would take away the pain in his leg, but it wouldn't take away the pain in his heart or the memories of Ally. House turned over the covers and got into bed. He wrapped the soft cotton comforter over his shoulders and within five minutes, he was fast asleep only to be awaken by a gleam of the morning sun shining through the blinds and enveloping his eyelids.


	15. Chapter 15

House made his way across the clinic, avoiding eye contact with everybody. He didn't want them to see the dark circles under his eyes and report him to Cuddy. He stumbled onto the elevator, successfully avoiding the evil woman. He watched the floor buttons light up as the elevator made its way up. _1, 2, 3. _The doors opened on the third floor, exposing the emptiness of the hallway. House limped out and made his across the glass walls encasing his office. When he peaked in, he could see Foreman and Chase sitting at the table going over their new patient's file. House opened the door and walked in.

"Good morning, my little duckies."

Chase: "Wow, House. You look like hell."

"And you have a huge booger in your nose. Oh, I'm sorry I thought we were stating the obvious." Chase's face turned about three different shades of red when House said that. He ran to the counter and grabbed a tissue. "So, Almighty Black One, how's the patient?"

Foreman: "She had a seizure. The nurse administered 2 mg of ativan. She's stable for now."

Chase:" Her bp is 130/85. She's got a fever of 102, and the acetaminophen is not bringing it down."

House:" What did her lp show?"

Foreman:"No infection. Maybe it's neurological, she's been having hallucinations."

House:"What kind of hallucinations?"

Chase: "She claims to be seeing things like bugs crawling on her skin. We gave her a sedative to calm her down."

House:" Does she have a history of migraines?"

Chase."No."

House:"How about numbness in her extremities?"

Foreman."No."

House:"Then it's not neurological. What were the results of her blood work?"

Foreman:"Low white blood cell count."

Chase:"It's got to be autoimmune."

House made his way over to the infamous whiteboard, grabbed a marker and began scribbling.

"Okay, let's start from the beginning. We got a 34 year old white female. What are her symptoms?"

Foreman: "Joint pain."

Chase: "Fever and Seizures."

Foreman: "Low white cell count and hallucinations."

Chase: "She complained that her eyes were dry and her throat was sore, but it could be just allergies."

House:" More than likely, but I'll still put it on the board. So we have joint pain, fever, seizures, hallucinations, low white cell count, dry eyes, and sore throat. Hmmm...What's the verdict people?"

Foreman: "Rheumatoid arthritis?"

House: "Doesn't explain the hallucinations and seizures."

Chase: "Lupus."

House: "Could be."

Chase: "It's classic signs of lupus."

House: "Still doesn't explain the dry eyes and mouth."

Chase: "It's allergies. Give her some immunosupressant drugs and she'll be fine."

House stood there staring at the board, reading the symptoms over and over again. Something wasn't right. Lupus doesn't explain the dry eyes and mouth. _Where's an immunologist when you need one? _

"Sjogren's disease."

The two ducklings turned around at the sound of the woman's voice. Chase immediately knew who it was, since he had met her yesterday. Foreman didn't know her, but assumed it was the new fellow Wilson had hired for House's department. House didn't bother to look up at the woman just yet. He was too busy writing on the whiteboard.

House: "Perfect. It fits all the symptoms. Run an ANA panel to confirm." As House gazed up to look at the woman who gave him the diagnosis. He was met with the most beautiful green eyes. Ally's green eyes. They were penetrating right through his own and into his chest. He felt an undescribable sensation coursing through his veins. His heart stopped. Time froze. There she was 26 years later standing right in front of him and more gorgeous than ever. Suddenly, the room went black.


	16. Chapter 16

House fell to the floor. Foreman and Chase rushed over to his side and picked up his limp body, carrying him to the couch. After placing him on the soft leather cushions, they hurried out of the office to go get Wilson. While Foreman and Chase went to go fetch House's trusty sidekick, Cameron went and got a wet cloth to dab House's face with. She made her way into her new boss's office. She watched his chest as it heaved up and down. Each breath of air filling his lungs and escaping through his mouth. He looked so peaceful and innocent as his body laid there. _How could this handsome man be so cynical? _Cameron quietly walked to the edge of the couch and sat down next to House's shoulder. She took his head up into her hands and placed it on her lap. She wiped the cool moistened cloth across his face, trailing his forehead first, then grazing each side of his stubble.

House felt a tingling sensation on his face. His facial hair began to stand erect as it reacted to the cool water droplets left behind by the wet fabric. His body began to stir. His head moving and rubbing itself against Cameron's inner thighs. She felt a burning pleasure in her belly as the roundness of his head glided across her pants. Cameron was enjoying the vulnerability of this man as he lay helpless in her lap. She felt something for him. Something she couldn't quite put her finger on. _Sympathy? No. Compassion? No. Lov... _

Cameron's train of thought was lost when she noticed House's eyes beginning to flutter open. She glanced down at him. His forehead just below her chin. She was trying to get a glimpse of his eyes when the sound of his voice startled her.

"Do you always sexually harass your boss on the first day of work?" House said this with sarcasm, but if one was intuitive enough, one could detect a hint of truth behind the question.

Cameron was not at all offended by House's question. She found it rather funny and let out a giggle before replying, "Only the cute ones."

This made House's eyes shoot right open. First of all, Ally was back. He hadn't seen her in over 26 years and miraculously she just shows up. She doesn't just show up, she happened to be the first applicant Wilson interviewed, and he hired her right on the spot without interviewing the others. _Fate? Maybe. _Second of all, she called him cute or at least he assumed she did by the comment she made.

House hesitantly looked up into her eyes. He was afraid of what he might see. Anger, hatred, sympathy or the unithinkable in House's mind, love. He could feel her breath on his face and lips as Cameron leaned in closer. Sweat began to form on his brow as her nose became dangerously close to touching his forehead. He needed her to say something, anything that would help him fight the urge to just grab and kiss her.

When House had opened his eyes, Cameron felt a pain shoot through her heart. She had refrained herself from grasping her chest. Something was familiar about this man. She had lowered her head in attempt to get a better view of those gorgeous pools of blue that were his eyes.

"You look familiar. Do I know you?"

"Not unless you work for Babes-R-Us and you go by the nickname Paula on the weekends."

"Huh? Are you saying that I don't know you?"

"That is what I was implying. Now, why are you touching me in the first place?" As House said this, he sat up quickly from Cam's lap and reached for his cane, which Foreman had hung on the edge of his desk. Cameron was bewildered by House's sudden apprehensiveness to her touch.

"Well, you fainted, and I just wanted to make sure you were..."

"Haven't you ever seen a hangover before? Probably not. You still look like you play with barbies. Sorry, but I'm not your Ken doll. Now, I'm sure Dr. Chase would be more than happy to play house with you."

"What's your problem? I just tried to help."

"You can help by making me some coffee, because apparently they don't teach that in the ghetto or in the land down under." Cameron sat up and stared at House with a look of venom in her eyes. She had never been so disrespected in her life. She angrily made her way to the counter and made House a cup of coffee.

"I'm watching you, so don't try to poison me." House yelled from his office. He was sitting in his desk chair, keeping a very close eye on Cameron. He watched her as she reached up for his red coffee mug. He was mesmorized by the way the light shone in from the glass doors and captured her every curve. She turned into a lovely woman and House regretted the fact that he hadn't known her for her whole life. But it would never work out. He was too damaged. Incapable of being loved and incapable to love.

Cameron made her way into his office and handed him the mug without saying a word. On her way out, House's voice stopped her.

"Where are you going? Your job is to check my mail. Now sit down." House lifted himself off of his chair, coffee in hand, and directed her towards the seat. "I do not do lectures, charity balls or charity CASES, boring cases, or donate money. Don't bother me unless there's some epidemic that's spreading through the hospital and even then don't bother me."

House made his way into the differential room and sat down at the table. He grabbed the paper and began to read. He took a sip of his coffee and was surprised how good it was, but he wouldn't let Cameron know that. He lowered the paper a little to sneak a quick glance at Cameron and it pained him to see one lonely tear drip from her eye down her cheek. He saw her take her hand and wipe it away. House couldn't stand to see her like this. He couldn't stand the effects his words had on her. Something needed to be done. There's no way he could work alongside her. _A week. I'll give her a week and then she's gone. _

When Cameron wiped the tear from her face, she looked up, because she felt like someone was staring at her. Realizing there was no on in the hallway, she looked into the differential room where House's face was hidden behind the newspaper. She hated him. She hated him for being so rude. She hated him for treating her like garbage. She almost regretted the fact that she took the job in the first place. However, she decided to toughen it out, because she was going to be the one to break Dr. Gregory House.


	17. Chapter 17

Wilson hastly made his way to House's office with Foreman and Chase in tow. When the ducklings had come to his office and told him House passed out, Wilson immediately assumed the worse, an overdose. However, they reassured him that House just fainted. Still concerned, Wilson stopped what he was doing and headed for House's office. As Wilson approached the glass walls, he was surprised to find House sitting at the table like nothing had happened. He burst through the door and was met with House's gaze.

"What's with you being in such a hurry these days?"

"Well, the fact that you fainted. Sorry, for being concerned with your well-being."

"It's called a hangover. It happens when you drink too much..."

"House, I know what a hangover is. What I don't know is how you just suddenly fainted."

"I just got a little dizzy that's all." House turned and stared at Foreman and Chase. "So what were the results of the ANA panel?"

Chase: "We didn't run it yet, because you fainted and we wanted to get you he..."

"You didn't run it yet?! So the patient's still dying? How irresponsible of you."

Foreman: "You're more important than our patient, House."

"And life is more important than death. Chase, you go run the test. Foreman, start the patient on corticosteriods and give her some eyedrops for the dryness."

Foreman: "If we haven't run the test yet, how do we know she has Sjogren's Disease."

"Look over there." House pointed his finger towards Cameron sitting at his desk in his office. "She's smarter than she looks. Plus, she is an immunologist and Sjogren's is autoimmune. You're a neurologist. Well, at least I think you are. I'm not so sure now, it's taking you awhile to understand this. Just go administer the treatment."

Foreman and Chase made their way out of the office, but not before Chase grabbed a quick glance at Cameron sitting by the computer. This did not go unnoticed by House.

"Chase!"

"Yes, House?"

"Hands off."

"What are you talking about?"

"Don't think I didn't just see you check out Dr. Cameron."

"Since when are you so protective?"

"I'm not being protective. I just don't need an emotional woman on my team and a sexually deprived one at that, because we all know how you are in bed. " Chase didn't want to start an argument. House wasn't in a good mood. Hell, he was never in a good mood, so Chase just nodded slightly and walked out.

There was no reason for House to say what he did. He planned on getting rid of her by the end of the week and surely Chase couldn't do any damage by then. Maybe it was a slight hint of jealously on his part. House had to mark his territory so to speak. He didn't want anybody hurting his Ally. He didn't want to hurt his Ally. That's why he planned on getting rid of her.

When Chase left, Wilson took a seat by House and spoke.

"What was that about?"

"What was what about?"

"You being protective of your new duckling." Wilson suppressed a grin that was beginning to tug at the corners of his mouth. He knew his friend was taking some sort of liking to his new fellow, but he didn't know what kind of liking.

"I WASN'T being protective. What is with you people? I just didn't want her to get involved with anybody, since she is leaving in a week."

"She's leaving?"

"Yeah, I decided that I don't need her "services." House put extra emphasis on the word services.

"She's not a hooker, House."

"How do you know that? Did you see her shoes? They're black and everything. They're just screaming sex."

"Just because they are black doesn't mean she is a hooker."

"I know she isn't a hooker, Jimmy, but I just can't work with her." House stared at the ground to avoid eye contact with Wilson. Wilson tried to study his friend. He was looking for some sort of clue that would tell him what House was thinking. Then a light bulb appeared.

"You're attracted to her!"

"Who wouldn't be? Check out that bod."

"Well, if you admit that you think she is attractive, then what else could it b...you LIKE her!" Wilson said this, while pointing his finger accusingly at House. House just became more focused on the discolored patch on the carpet. He was too nervous to bring his head up and look at Wilson. "I knew it!"

"I didn't say I liked her."

"You didn't have to. She's beautiful and intelligent. She even puts you in your place. The perfect woman." Wilson stood up and headed for the door, but turned around to look at House. "By the way, if you get rid of her, I'll tell Cuddy. It couldn't hurt you to get to know her better. She may do you some good." With that Wilson opened the door and walked down the hallway. House turned his gaze back to Cameron. He couldn't let her go without knowing what happened to her after that day. He stood up and limped towards his office door...


	18. Chapter 18

Cameron glanced up and saw House approaching the office. Her knuckles became white as she clenched the mouse in her hand, resisting the urge to throw rip it out and throw it at him. She went back to her work, hoping that House would just go away. Her hopes were soon crushed, when she heard the door open and the noise of his cane hitting the floor.

"Dr. Cameron?"

"Yes, Dr. House, what can I do for you?"

"No reason to be so formal. I think we know each other by now. I mean you did put my head in your lap. If that doesn't scream sexual harrassment, I don't know what does." House said this hoping to get a rise out of Cameron. When she didn't react, he stopped.

"I'm almost done with your mail. I'll be out of your hair in about 10 mins."

"No need. So any good letters?"

"I thought you didn't want to be bothered with meaningless questions."

"They're not meaningless unless you think they are meaningless. Everything has a meaning."

"Huh? I don't get you."

"You're not the only one." Both sat there in an awkward silence, waiting for the other to break it. When no one did, Cameron took the intiative.

"Well, if that's all, I'll be going now. Cuddy says I have 6 hours of clinic duty a week, so I might as well get it done." Cameron stood up, straightened out her shirt and pants, and headed to her desk, but she was stopped by a hand grasping onto her arm.

Cameron looked up into House's eyes. She could feel them penetrating right through her soul. She tried to pull her arm away, but the grip only tightened. House could sense the fear in her eyes, but he also detected a sparkle of arousal? _No way is she turned on right now. God, look what she is doing to me. That Face. Those eyes. Her lips. Oh god, her lips. _Cameron's lips glistened with light pink gloss. The tiny little glittery particles reflected the light from above and made them all the more appealing to House. _You'll hurt her. Don't._ It took all of House's strength not to pull her body into his, but he managed. It seemed like they were staring into each other's eyes forever, but it was only a matter of seconds, and Cameron's voice interrupted House's thoughts.

"Now who's sexually harrassing who?" Cameron managed to get a small smile out of House when she said this and she knew, he was slowing coming around.

House couldn't think of what to say. He was too busy fantasizing about what it might be like to kiss Cameron that he had forgotten why he grabbed her arm in the first place. Noticing her cellphone on his desk, he snatched it and made a quick save, so she wouldn't suspect that he was thinking about something else.

"You forgot this." House handed her the cellphone and let go of her arm.

"Thank you." Cameron clicked her heels around and grasped the doorknob. As she was turning it, House spoke.

"Cameron, would you like to have dinner with me tonight?"

Cameron was shocked. A minute ago, he was rude and obnoxious. His voice full of annoyance. Now, it was subtle and full of kindness.

"Are you asking me out, Dr. House?"

"Out to dinner, yes. As a date, no. There's some business we need to discuss, and I prefer a more casual less stressful atmosphere."

"Sure, where are you taken me?"

"Just wear something comfortable like jeans and a jacket. I'll pick you up at 7." With that, House headed out of his office, but was still within earshot when Cameron yelled.

"Don't you need my address?"

"Don't worry, I read your file."

Cameron became slightly flustered at House's admission, but was soon placated by the fact that tonight, she was going out with Dr. Gregory House. She was slightly attracted to this older man with a gruff exterior. She wanted to learn more. Little did Cameron know that the reason House invited her out was so he could pry her for information about her past. He needed some sort of resolution to what happened to her. He needed to know if she was okay after the bombing. Too bad he had to tell her that she had the week to finish out and then she was gone.


	19. Chapter 19

Cameron couldn't wait to leave the hospital and go home to get ready for her night out with House, even if it wasn't a "date." She had spent the last four hours dealing with stupid clinic patients. Who would have thought that someone else besides House thought the patients were stupid. Some guy even had the nerve to ask her out after she told him he had gonorrhea.

She had seen so many runny noses that would last her a lifetime. It was almost inevitable the patient had a runny nose, so everytime she entered the exam room, she just stared at the clock, watching the second hand count off the minutes, as the patient told her their symptoms. In the end, she always ended up writing a prescription for some nose spray.

Finally, her time came to leave the hospital. She thrusted a prescription paper into the hands of her last patient, dropped the file off at the nurses' desk, and headed upstairs to gather her things. She was hoping to see House before their night out, but was disappointed when she noticed that the lights in his office were off and the blinds closed. She opened the door to the differential room and gathered her things. She turned the lights off and headed towards the elevator.

Little did Cameron know that when she was gathering her things, House was in his office napping. He was awakened by the creaking sound of the differential room door. He grabbed his cane from the edge of his desk and lifted himself off of the chair. He hobbled over to a spot on the glass wall, where a blind was missing, and peeked into the other room to see who was in there. When he caught a glimpse of Cameron his heart skipped a beat. He watched her as she leaned over the table to grab her bag. Her pants became stretched and accentuated the roundness of her behind. He watched as her hair fell forward when she bent her head down and watched it as it tumbled back against her shoulders when she lifted it up.

He was straining against his pants. So many emotions running through him. _She is so gorgeous. Look at how beautiful and perfect she is. _All he wanted to do was run into the other room, grab her by the waist, and pull her into a deep passionate kiss, but his conscience stopped him. Yes, House had a conscience, but only when it came to the woman he loved. He couldn't bear to hurt her. Not here. Not now. Not ever. He almost went into the room to tell her to forget dinner, but there was still a part of him that needed to know what happened to her after her father had scooped her up and ran away with her in his arms.

Cameron stepped onto the elevator. Her heart beating with anticipation. She couldn't wait to get off the elevator and into her car. However, when the elevator was making it's way down, it stopped on the second floor to let someone in. As the doors opened, Cameron was face to face with Chase.

"Hello, Cameron."

"Hello, Dr. Chase." _Why is she being so formal? I thought we had something going here? _

Cameron wanted to keep the conversation short. She was still mad and hurt at the fact that Chase had forgotten to mention that he had a girlfriend, but knowing she was going out with House, lessened the pain. It was true that she was attracted to Chase when she first met him, but was totally turned off when she found out he had lied to her. Trust was a big issue with Cameron and right now the only two people she could trust are Wilson and House. Good thing she doesn't know House is keeping a big secret from her.

Chase noticing the fidgeting of her body asked,

"What are you so anxious about?"

"Not that it's any of your business, but I'm going out with a friend tonight."

Chase was taken aback by the snippy tone in which Cameron said this. He had no clue why she was being so rude to him. He had done nothing to arouse these sort of feelings within her or so he thought.

"Well, have fun." And if by some stroke of luck, as the last word rolled off Chase's tongue, the elevator doors opened to reveal the clinic and most importantly the exit.

"I will. Bye, Dr. Chase." Cameron rushed out of the elevator with an extra spring in her step. She pushed open the hospital doors and crossed the street, heading for the parking garage. She got in her car and drove to her apartment.

When Cameron left the room, House grabbed his backpack and limped towards the service elevator. He didn't want to be seen by anyone, especially Cameron at least not until tonight. House left the hospital, hopped on his bike, and rode to his apartment.


	20. Chapter 20

Cameron walked down the hallway towards her apartment door. She stuck the key in and turned it until she heard the click that told her it was unlocked. She pushed it open keeping her left hand on the side. As she made her way in, she gently pushed it closed, letting her fingers glide against the wood as the door rushed pass and into door jam. She dropped her keys on the table and headed for her bathroom.

She turned the shower on and took her clothes off as she waited for the water to heat up. After tossing her clothes in the hamper, she lifted her right foot and stuck it under the rushing water to check the temperature. _Perfect. _

She stepped into the shower and let the warm water pour on her body. Her face gradually becoming wet as tiny water droplets splashed against her chest and onto her face. She grabbed her lavender shampoo and squeezed a small glob into the palm of her hand. She began to work her fingers through her hair, lathering up the soap from the roots to the tips. While she let it soak, she grabbed her loofa and her vanilla body wash. Starting from her neck, she worked her way down until her whole body was covered in white patches of suds. She stepped back under the showerhead and let the warm water wash it away.

Cameron turned the shower off and reached her hand out from behind the curtain to grab a towel. Wrapping her body up, she stepped out onto the bathroom carpet. Her feet dripping wet. She made her way to the counter and wiped away the steam covered mirror. Cameron put makeup on, but not too much. She didn't want to look like a tramp. Just a little mascara, some black eyeliner, and pink lipgloss.

After putting the finishing touches on her makeup, she made her way across her bedroom and into her closet. She grabbed a pair of tight fitting jeans, an Eagles t-shirt, and a jean jacket. Just in case, she might get lucky tonight, Cameron went into her dresser and grabbed a black lacy bra, with matching panties. Letting the towel slip to the floor, Cameron put her clothes on. The last thing she had to do was blow dry her hair.

When Cameron was done, she glanced at her watch, 6:30. House would be there in a half hour and this made her nervous. She decided to have a glass of wine before dinner, so she made her way into the kitchen. After pouring herself a glass of wine, she went and sat on the couch to wait for House.

House arrived home from the hospital not at all concerned about getting ready for tonight. He threw his backpack on the couch, took a quick shower, and put on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. It was only 6:00, which meant he didn't have to leave for another 30 mins, so he grabbed a bottle of scotch, a glass, and sat on his piano bench. His fingers began to play some unrecognizable song, if it was a song at all. The tone was gloomy and not at all cheerful. Something someone with a broken heart would play. House got lost in the music and was playing for quite sometime, because when he looked down at his watch it was 7:15. He was late to go pick up Cameron. He grabbed his cane from atop the piano, limped towards the door, grabbed his helmet, and headed to Cameron's apartment.


	21. Chapter 21

By the time House arrived in front of Cameron's apartment it was 7:35. He was over a half hour late. He contemplated on whether or not to turn around, but keeping true to his word, he hopped off his bike and crossed the street.

Meanwhile, Cameron was on her fourth glass of wine. She reasoned with herself that House wasn't coming, so she decided to enjoy the night without him. Truth was, she was a little saddened by the fact that House probably wasn't coming, which caused her to drink more. She flipped on the tv and began to watch Talk Sex with Sue. What made her keep watching it, no one would know, but the alcohol definitely had something to do with it. She sat there giggling to herself as she listened to people phone in about their problems in bed. Her laugh was filled with snorts here and there and intervals of hiccuping. No doubt, she was smashed. Her laughing fit was soon interrupted by a knock at the door. She jumped off of the couch and stumbled to her door. She fumbled to open it and when she did, she was greeted by a less than happy House.

"Ready to go to dinner?"

"Hey, Dr. Hou...Hou...House."

"Cameron are you drunk?" House already knew the answer, he could tell by the dark circles under her eyes and the light glossy film that covered her pupils. And the fact that she stuttered trying to say his name.

"No, silly. What makes you think that?"

"Well, the fact that your eyes are bloodshot. You breath wreaks of alcohol, and you have an empty wine bottle sitting on your coffee table." House said this as he pointed his cane in the direction of the table.

"Well, maybe if you were here on time or at least called me to tell me you were going to be late. I wouldn't have drank so much." Cameron's whole demeanor changed. She became rather saucy towards House. She proceeded to close the door in House's face. She was mad at him for not calling her, and she was mad at him for showing up almost an hour late.

As the door was closing, Cameron clicked her heels and began to turn around to head back to the couch, when she tripped over herself. House catching a glimpse of this before the door closed, flung it open, and caught her by her arm just in time before she hit the floor. A shock of electricity shot through their arms and both knew the other felt it. He lifted her up towards his chest. They stared into each other's eyes for what seemed like an eternity, but Cameron tore from his grasp.

"I don't need your help."

"Obviously, you do, because you almost fell flat on your face. Here." House grabbed her arm and tried to lead her to the couch, but Cameron was being stubborn and she ripped her arm away again. She walked to the couch herself and sat down. House was close behind, he didn't want to leave her here by herself, especially in the state she was in. He limped towards the couch and sat beside Cameron.

"Talk Sex with Sue?"

"Yeah, got a problem with it?"

"No, I find learning sex tips from a 70 year old lady a major turn on. I mean look at her. You can tell she's got experience by those wrinkles. She's got to be the best at what she does. I bet she's done so..."

"Ewww, House, please spare me the details. She is insightful though. I find the people who call in with their problems the funniest. This one girl just called in and was complaining about how her boyfriend has erectile dyfunction and that he is a preemie." Cameron wiggled her eyebrows at House to make sure he understood what she meant.

"Are you sure it wasn't Chase's girlfriend?"

House made Cameron laugh with this comment. He definitely lightened her mood. However, when her laughing subsided, both sat there not knowing what to do. All this talk about sex and hearing Sue talking about it was making them both uncomfortable. House began to adjust himself in his seat and when he did, he accidently sat on the remote and turned the tv off. Cameron glanced from the tv over to him and once again their eyes met. She inched her face closer to House's until her lips were centimeters from his. She closed her eyes, puckered her lips, and leaned forward. House began to lean in to. He couldn't stop himself. He tried to move his head, it wouldn't budge. He tried to press his finger against her lips to stop her, it stayed glued to his side. He eventually gave in, but before their lips could touch, Cameron's body was overcome with a rush of nausea. She sprang from the couch and into her bathroom, where gurgling noises began to emit from inside the door.

House sat on the couch in a daze for a second before he realized Cameron might need his help. He couldn't believe he almost kissed her. Thank god he hadn't, but if he had, he didn't know what would have happened, what he would have said, nothing. He got off the couch and limped towards the bathroom. He made his way down the hallway, following the sounds coming from Cam's throat. As he reached the bathroom door and opened it, he saw Cameron sitting on the ground with her head laying on the toilet seat. Four glasses of wine sat in the toilet ready to be flushed down the drain. Her hair was covered in a mixture of stomach acid and wine. Her chin and lips were encrusted with dried up spew. Her clothes were lined with splotches of puke. House looked down and his heart softened at the sight of his Ally, sick and sitting helpless on the marble floor.

"Get out!"

"No, I'm not going to leave you here like this."

"I'll be fine. Stop trying to help me. Just get out."

But it was too late, House had already grabbed a washcloth from the rack and wet it. He knelt down and wiped the crust off her face. There was nothing he could do about her hair right now. She would have to wash that in the morning. House moved his hands underneath Cameron's arms and lifted her up. Her limp body lay against his chest. He slowly limped back and dragged her to her bedroom. He sat her on the bed and began to take her shirt off. Not because that's what he has wanted to do ever since she came back in his life, but because it was covered in smelly vomit, and he didn't want her to sleep in it. However, just as House was lifting it above her belly, Cameron swatted his hand away, but not before House got a glimpse of a fairly big scar across her belly.

"What's that from?"

"I don't want to talk about it. Please go."

"I'll go after you tell me. You at least owe me an explanation. I did help you to your bed."

"Fine." Cameron couldn't deny House an answer. He could have easy left when she slammed the door in his face, but he had stopped her from falling to the floor and cleaned her up in the bathroom. She owed him this much.

"When I was five, my dad was stationed on Johnson Base Camp. Well, on this one particular June day, the enemies bombed it. I was thrown against a pile of tires by the force of an exploding missile. They tumbled on top of me. This boy I had just met that day, dug his way through the tires and saved me. The next thing I know, I wake up in a hospital bed with my mom and dad by my side. I was hospitalized for two months with a broken leg, a few fractured ribs, head trauma, and internal bleeding. After I was released, my dad retired and moved my family to Wisconsin. The scar is from when they had to remove my spleen, which was about to burst from the impact of the tires."

House just sat there staring into her eyes. He didn't know what to say. He had no clue she was this severely injured. She could have died in his arms, but she didn't. She lived to love another day. And this boy, House. He saved her. She even said it herself, "he saved me." _Did I really have that big an impact on her life? I need to know._

"What happened to the boy?"

"I don't know. I never saw him again. I wish he was here right now, so I could tell him thank you. Thank you for saving my life."

_I'm right here, Ally. You already told me. _

"The doctors said that if it wasn't for him removing me from the tires so quickly that I would have died. I want to tell him that I love him and always will. I know it sounds stupid, because I was only five years old, but when I first laid eyes on him, I knew he was the one. The funny thing is, if I met him today, I probably wouldn't recognize him, and it pains me to say that, because I think he truly is my soulmate."

At the sound of Cameron telling him she loved him and always will, House froze. He couldn't deal with this right now. It was too much. It was one thing that he was the one that saved her life, but it was quite another to have her say she loved him.

"I got to go."

"House..." But he was already out of the room. Cameron stared down the hallway until she heard her apartment door close and the click of a cane hitting the wood floor disappear. She took her clothes off and pulled the covers over her bare body. She gently laid her head against her soft pillow and let it sink into the middle. She fell asleep with a trail of tears streaming down her cheeks.

House made his way down the hallway and out the door without looking back. He couldn't bare to look at that face. A face full of love, compassion, and innocence. As he crossed the street and hopped on his bike, he grabbed his leg. He traced the long jagged scar on his right thigh through his pants. Both had scars that brought back painful memories and both were ashamed by their ugliness. As he started up his bike and rode home, he thought about Cameron. _Why did she have to say she loved me? I can't fire her now. I could never do that to her. What am I going to do? I'm not good enough for her. I would just end up hurting her. She needs someone who will love her always. Someone who won't drag her down. Someone who is not damaged. _

Unbeknownst to House, Cameron really needed someone like him. She needed her soulmate. The boy who saved her all those years ago. She needed Greg...


	22. Chapter 22

Beep...beep...beep...House slammed his hand on top of the alarm clock. He reached over and turned on the lamp. The sudden brightness of light momentarily blinded him. He clasped his hand over his face and gently rubbed his drooping eyelids, while he let his pupils adjust. He swung his feet out from under the covers and placed them on the cool hardwood floor. It took a lot of effort to drag his body into the bathroom and when he did, all he wanted to do was take a hot steamy shower. He stepped onto the wet tile and let the water pour down onto his body, trailing from his neck to his toes. He gently moved his face under the faucet. The little beads of water splashed against his scruff and filled in the lines left by his aging skin.

When he felt somewhat refreshed, he turned the shower off and grabbed his cane that was hooked on the shower curtain rod. He clenched the end between his hand and unhooked a towel above the toilet. House dried himself off, retrieved some clothes from the floor, and got dressed. As he was making his way to the front door, a sharp pain shot through his thigh. He grasped the edge of the couch with his left hand, while his right wrapped around the disfigured limb. He guided his body onto the couch and sat down. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out the orange bottle, which symbolized relief. Relief from pain. Relief from stupid people. Relief from the hardships of life. House shook out three white pills into the palm of his hand. Two would be enough for the pain manifesting in his thigh, but it wouldn't be enough for the pain in his head and heart. His mind still reeled from the events of the night before. He had almost kissed Cameron, but that wasn't what was bothering him. If he had kissed her, so be it, but the fact that he learned she loved him and she didn't even know he was Greg. They had only known eachother for a few hours, but he had a big enough impact on her life for her to develop some kind of feelings for him. Why they were feelings of love rather than gratitude were puzzling to him.

House brought his hand to his lips and tossed the pills down his throat. He sat there and waited until they took effect. Their chemicals flooded through his veins, bringing a pleasurable high as they coursed deeper and deeper. House lifted himself off of the couch with ease as if the term disabled didn't exist. Dragging his hand along the mahogany table, he grabbed his keys and headed to PPTH.

While on his motorcycle, wind whipping through his hair, he reasoned with himself that Cameron's thinking was a little premature and mostly influenced by the amount of alcohol she consumed. He decided to ignore the past night's events and pretend like it never happened. He didn't want it to be awkward between them, especially if he had to work with her. Although, House convinced himself Cameron had no effect on him, his decision not to fire her, proved otherwise.

House opened the doors to what he considered the eighth circle of hell. He spotted Cuddy by the nurses' desk and began to turn around to leave, when his ears began to ring from a shrieking voice.

"House!" House turned around, but not before a quick eye roll. His eyes shot wide open when he became face to face with the evil hospital administrator.

"Oh! Good Morning, Dr. Jugs...Juggy...Cuddy. Sorry, I was distracted by that low-cut blouse. I guess, I didn't get the memo for Bare All Tuesdays."

"House, it's 1 in the afternoon."

"Long night. You know how hookers are. Once they have a piece of Zeus, they can't help themselves."

"Please, I'm surprised they don't laugh in your face, when they realize how small it is, but then again you are paying them for their company."

"Touche."

"You have clinic duty at 2."

"No, I don't. I finished up my hours yesterday."

"No, Foreman and Chase finished up YOUR hours. That leaves you to finish up THEIR hours." Cuddy turned and headed towards her office.

"But mommy?" House pouted his lips and licked his finger and dragging it from his eye down to his chin, creating one lonely fake tear. "Fine! But that's the last time I let you videotape us doing it!"

Everybody in the clinic turned and glared at Cuddy. The men gave her winks, while the women stood back with looks of disgust. Her face became a bright red and she ran into her office, locking the door, while a satisfied House made his way up to the third floor.

Stepping onto the Diagnostics Floor, House smelled the sweet aroma of coffee emitting from inside his chambers. Foreman and Chase were sitting at the table updating patients' files. Pushing the door open, House threw his backpack onto a chair and made his way to the coffee pot.

"Hello, Sleepy and Dopey. Where's Snow White?"

Chase: "She hasn't come in." House was taking a sip of his coffee when Chase said this and spit it right back out.

"I can tell. The coffee tastes like a wombat made it. Has anyone heard from her?"

Foreman: "Well since, I'm not her boss, she's not my responsibility."

"Oh wait! You're talking about me." House pointed an accusing finger at himself and then wagged it at Foreman.

Chase:" Maybe you scared her off with your cynicism."

"Or maybe she saw Foreman's mugshot on the news or your personal ad in the paper, Mr. Hot Aussie looking for a beautiful Sheila."

House reached inside his pocket and grabbed his cell phone. He dialed Cameron's home phone. No answer. He tried her cell phone. No answer. He paged her beeper. No response. Slipping his phone back into his pocket, he reached for his backpack, and headed towards the door.

Foreman:"Where are you going?"

"To go check up on the pretty one, because obviously you two don't care." He tried to mask his worriment with anger. Something inside him told him he shouldn't have left her by herself last night.

Chase: "I'll go with." Chase began to stand up, but his body was pushed back down into the chair by a wooden cane.

"No, you will not go. You will stay here and explain to Cuddy why her Head of Diagnostics has to go check up on one of his fellows. And since you two are more concerned with your jobs, you can do my clinic hours for today."

Foreman and Chase stared at one another questioningly and turned around to say something, but House was already gone...


	23. Chapter 23

House pulled up to Cameron's apartment and saw her car parked out front. She has to be home he thought. _But why isn't she answering my calls? I hope she is okay. _Concernment wasn't one of House's strongest attributes, but when it came to Cameron it always made a point to show up. House parked his bike, got off, and limped to Cameron's door.

Cameron was at home sleeping in her bed, when she was awakened by a loud rapping noise at her door. There was only one object that could make that ear wrenching noise, a cane, and there was only one person she knew who had a cane, House.

Cameron struggled to her feet. Her head throbbing as a result of last night's antics. Her nose was stuffy from crying herself to sleep. She almost didn't get up, but thought otherwise when she heard House yell "Cameron, don't make me break down this door."

Cameron stumbled across her apartment, bumping into various pieces of furniture. Before reaching the door, she slammed the side of her hip into an end table, sending a shriek from her vocal cords, through her teeth, and out her mouth. House heard her through the door and panic enveloped him.

"Cameron! Open up, now!"

Cameron grabbed the side of her hip and dug her nails into her skin. With her free hand, she unlocked the door and House peered his head in. He glanced at her up and down. Her body still dressed in last night's puke covered clothes. Her hair still messy and smelling of stale wine. She was just the way he left her, except her eyes. They were bloodshot and she had small yellow circles under them. Little visible streams of dried up tears made their way through her makeup from her lower eyelashes to her chin. A sure sign she had been crying. House turned his focus from her eyes to her hand that was clutching her hip. Realizing she was in pain, he grabbed and led her to the couch to sit down. Her body was so weak that she collapsed onto the cushions.

"Why aren't you at work?!"

"Shhh…" Cameron said pressing one finger to her lips and the other to her head.

"Well, I'm not surprised. You could be the new spokesperson for Chateau Lafite."

Cameron laid there, her hand sill grasping the side of her hip.

"Let me look at that." House grabbed Cameron's hand away from her side and looked at the newly formed bruise.

"I'm fine."

"No, you're not. You're hung over. You've been crying for god knows why, and you smell of vomit."

"I'm sorry. I should have called in, but this headache is killing me. I don't even remember what I did last night. I hope I didn't do anything stupid."

_Yes! She doesn't remember what happened or what she said…_

"Well, I came over to take you out for a lovely evening and you answered the door drunk. You proceeded to close the door in my face, but you tripped, and I turned around and caught you like the superhero I am, minus the blue tights and cape. I led you to the couch, where we watched some TV. All of a sudden, you ran into the bathroom and decided to kneel before the porcelain gods."

House decided to forego telling Cameron that the reason she was probably drunk was because he was late. He didn't want her to think he was a complete jerk. He also decided not to tell her that they almost kissed, and that she spilled her whole childhood to him. It was better if she was oblivious to her behavior, because than House wouldn't have to explain himself.

"I'll go take a shower and be in to work by 2."

"No you won't. There's only room for one idiot on my team and that's Chase. You can't even think straight, let alone walk. Here, I'll go run a bath for you, so you can freshen up."

"But House..."

"No! Stay here. I'll be back."

House made his way down the hallway, glancing at pictures of Cameron as a child. As he got closer to the bathroom door, he spotted a picture of Cameron standing in front of the Johnson Base Camp sign. The same sign House stood in front of when his parents took a picture of him. He was staring at it, when his thoughts were interrupted by a soft voice.

"That's me at one of my father's base camps."

"I think I got that by the fact that it says "Johnson Base Camp" in BIG letters. I thought I told you to stay on the couch?"

"I didn't think you knew where the bathroom was." Cameron walked closer to House, gliding her hand along the wall for support and direction. Her vision became blurry and the room began to spin. She lost her footing and stumbled over. House reached forward and snatched her just in time before she fell to the floor.

"We got to stop meeting like this. I know you like touching my manly biceps, but this is getting to be way too much."

"Sorry."

"No it's okay. Let's just get you washed up."

He helped Cameron into the bathroom and sat her down on the toilet seat. He kneeled on the floor beside her. A sharp pain shot through his right leg as his knee hit the marble tile, but he didn't want Cameron to see his pain, so he toughened up. As he turned the bath on, his eyes focused on the beauty products that lined the bathtub's edge.

"Bubble bath? Bath salts? Scented body wash? What are you like five?"

"I can't help that I want to smell good."

_She always does smell good. I love her sweet scent. It penetrates your nostrils and draws you in._ "House?" _It's so invigorating. I wish I could take a wet cloth and rub her_…"House?"

"Wha-What?" House spun his head and glared angrily at her for disrupting his thoughts, but let his eyes soften when he sensed the hurt in her eyes. 

"I just wanted to tell you the bath is full."

"Right." House twisted the handles off and lifted himself up.

"Do you need any help?"

"I know you want to see me naked, but I think I can manage."

_Damn_. House turned his back to Cameron and walked out, but was stopped by a hand grabbing his arm.

"Will you stay to make sure I'm okay, and I get out of the bathtub?"

"Yeah, I'll just go watch some porn. There's a special encore of Debbie Does Dallas." This brought a smile to Cameron's face. The first one he has seen all day.

"Bye House." And with that, she closed the door behind her.

When Cameron was done with her bath, she put on a big t-shirt and some boy short panties. As Cameron entered the living room, she noticed House half asleep on the couch. She slowly made her way to it and sat beside him. She lifted her hands, placing one on his shoulder and the other on his leg.

"House?"

"If that hand goes any higher, you won't be the only one who will have trouble standing."

"I thought you were sleeping?"

"Looks can be deceiving." _If she only knew._

"What are you watching?"

"American Choppers. It seems someone forgot to order the porno channels, so I had to settle for big hot sweaty guys working on motorcycles."

"Looks interesting."

"How you feeling?"

"Better, but my head still hurts."

"Here." House reached into his pocket and pulled out his vicodin. He popped one into her hand and handed her a glass of scotch. "Dr. House's cure for a massive hangover."

"Thanks." Cameron slipped the white pill into her mouth and flushed it down with some scotch. It tasted bitter as it flowed down her throat, but oddly enough she didn't feel the urge to puke.

Both sat there in silence watching TV, neither one willing to break the silence. After a few minutes Cameron's head slid onto House's chest. He shifted his eyes down at her sleeping figure. She was so beautiful. He wanted to give the world to her, but he couldn't, not with his leg. He would just drag her down and make her as miserable as he is. Her head bobbed up and down with each breath he took. He quietly reached over and pulled a tendril out of her face. She stirred for a minute, and House held his breath as not to wake her. He wanted to enjoy the few minutes he had with her, because tomorrow it would go back to normal. Same old job. Same old patients. Same old attitude.

Cameron shifted herself a little and placed her hand over House's heart. As her soft delicate clung to his fabric, he felt a sudden urge to tell her about his past. It was the perfect time. She was asleep. She would never hear him. He had to tell her something. At least tell her what he was going to tell her at dinner.

"You are so beautiful. I want to love you, but I can't. It's not fair to you. You probably want to know how I became the infamous Gregory House. Like your dad, my father was in the military too. I was a military brat. It was the same at every camp we went to. I never made friends, because I knew it was only a matter of time that my dad would be transferred. There was an incident at this one camp, where we had to leave immediately, but that was it. My father was abusive, so I finished my schooling early, so I could go to college. I went to John-Hopkins and got kicked out. I received a double specialty in infectious disease and nephrology at Michigan. My leg wasn't always like this. I had an infarction in my thigh, and the doctors didn't catch it in time, resulting in massive muscle death. I asked to be put in a drug-induced coma to sleep through most of the pain. My live in girlfriend at the time, Stacy, decided to be my medical proxy and signed off on surgery to remove the muscle. After I left the hospital, I drove her out of my life. I couldn't…"

Ring…ring…ring…House snatched his cell phone from his jacket pocket and picked it up before it had time to wake up Cameron. "Yeah, what's her bp? How long ago did she seize? Test her for drugs and make sure she didn't do this to herself before we start treating her. I'll be there in 10." Click. House snapped his phone shut. He tucked his hands under Cameron's head and lifted her off of him and placed her head on the cushions. He got up, turned his back to the couch, and limped towards the front door. House couldn't see, but Cameron had popped an eye open and watched him make his way to the door. She had heard everything he said. He was capable to love. He was capable to her. She needed to warm his heart again. She needed to do something.

House put his hand on the door knob and twisted it. Cameron's eye kept a close watch on House's slow movement and quickly shut it closed when she realized he was turning around to face her.

"Goodbye, Ally," House whispered under his breath. And with that, he was gone…


	24. Chapter 24

After House left, Cameron got up from the couch and ran to the window. As she pulled the curtain to the side, she was able to catch a glimpse of House as he sped off. She had wanted to run out after him, take him up into her arms, and kiss him passionately. When she heard him call her Ally, her body was overcome with this wanting desire to explore every inch of his body. The realization that House was Greg, her soul mate, created a burning desire within her belly. She wanted to feel the warmth of his body on top of her. She wanted to feel him inside her for the first time. She wanted to graze his lips with hers. Why she did not recognize him before was beyond her. His eyes would have been a dead give away, those pools of blue that sparkled in the light, but they were missing something that she saw in them 26 years ago. They were missing the vulnerability of a child. Cameron could no longer see the vulnerability in House that she saw in Greg. What she saw was bitterness. Bitterness she assumed accumulated throughout the years and only grew with Stacy.

Cameron almost grabbed her keys and drove to the hospital, so she could hold House in her arms and tell him it would be okay and that she would never hurt him, but a thought popped into her head. _He remembered me, but didn't say anything. Why wouldn't he say anything?_ Her happiness was destroyed by a sudden feeling of hurt and anger. She was hurt by the fact that House never once mentioned knowing her, and it's not like he didn't remember, because he called her Ally. No one has ever called her Ally except for him. When she was growing up, she would never allow anyone to call her that, even her deceased husband. It was a special name she shared with her one true love and if that was the only thing she could have to remember him by, she didn't want to give it up. She was also angry at House for being such a jerk when she first came to work. She was angry at him for being late for their date. She needed to confront him and tomorrow would be the day…

Cameron awoke with determination. Today was the day she was going to stroll into work and talk to House, but she was going to make him suffer. She wanted to look her best, so she could watch him squirm.

Cameron took a shower and blew her hair dry. The soft curls spiraled down her back, tingling the back of her neck with their touch. She put on a little bit of makeup, just enough to accent her green eyes. She then put on her favorite pink lip gloss, the one that shimmered in the light. She wanted her lips to be inviting and this was the perfect way. After putting her makeup on, she glided across her bedroom to her closet. Glancing at the rows of clothes, she picked out a black pleaded skirt and a white blouse with black pumps. Checking herself in the mirror one last time, she grabbed her keys and headed to work with a smile plastered across her face.

House ended up sleeping at the hospital after leaving Cameron's. Their new patient had proved to be complicated. While he sent Chase to do blood work and Foreman to do a MRI, House sat in his chair listening to his ipod. The soft tones brought with them relaxation and escape and soon House was overcome with sleep. He awoke to the smell of coffee making its way through the chambers and into his office. As he peeked into the other room, he saw her. She was alone and busing herself with the morning coffee.

Foreman and Chase had not arrived yet. They finished their tests the previous night and nothing proved abnormal, so they decided to go home and discuss the results in the morning. As they made their way to the chambers to retrieve their bags, they saw House slumped over in his chair asleep.

Chase: "Should we go wake him up?"

Foreman: "If I know House, he'll wake up, yell at us for disturbing his dream with Carmen Electra, and ask about the test results. We'll say they were normal. He won't believe us, tell us we screwed up, and make us do them again."

Chase: "You're right. Let's not wake him."

House was keeping a close eye on Cameron. Her lab coat was obstructing his view of her and what she was doing, but when she reached for some sugar on the shelf, he caught a quick glimpse of his red mug. _Oh Crap! She's bringing me my coffee. _House snapped his eyes shut when he saw her turn around and head towards his office.

Cameron walked into House's office and over to his desk, placing the coffee mug on top of it. She sat down, sipped her own coffee, and stared at him for awhile. House could sense her presence, hoping she would go away, but the slurping noise of her sipping her coffee was becoming unbearable. With his eyes still closed House spoke,

"Will you stop?"

"Oh so you are awake?"

"How could I not be, you got table manners of a two year old."

"I brought you your coffee."

House opened his eyes, but looked at his red mug before looking up at Cameron. He took the mug in into his hand and brought the hot liquid to his lips. As he began to drink, his eyes shifted to Cameron, and shot wide open. She looked so radiant. He wanted to grab her, pull her onto his lap, and kiss her. Cameron saw the way House was looking at her and her cheeks became rosy as an embarrassing smile swept across her face.

"What?"

"Huh?"

"I saw the way you were looking at me."

"Yeah, I didn't realize Britney Spears was having a concert." House saw tears beginning to form in Cameron's eyes. She could no longer hold them in, and they began to flow down her face.

"Oops I did it again. Stop your crying and do my mail." House stood up to let Cameron sit down at his desk. When he passed by her chair, she got up and her hand connected with his cheek.

"You're a jerk."

"Tell me something I don't know." House touched the spot where Cameron had slapped him and limped away. As he made his way out the door, he turned back and stared through the glass walls. Cameron was sitting as his desk crying. She wiped her tears and nose with the sleeve of her blouse. House's heart sank at the sight of her, but instead of going back in to apologize, he made his way to Wilson's office.


	25. Chapter 25

Wilson was sitting at his desk updating his patients' files when the door to his office flung open. His body jolted, and his heart began to race at the sound of his door swinging and hitting the bookcase behind it. He calmed down when he saw the cause of the raucous.

"Wilson!"

"Don't you ever knock?"

"And miss that look on your face, never." House limped over to the chair in front of Wilson's desk and plopped down.

"What do you want?"

"Why do you always assume I want something? Can't I just talk to my BF?"

"No, and what's a BF?"

"Best friend or maybe it means boyfriend. I have been getting weird looks from Cuddy's assistant. You think there could be something to it?"

"You don't just come in here to talk-" Wilson finally looked up from his paperwork and stared at House. "What happened to your face?"

"My hooker slapped me, because I kissed her on the mouth."

"Today's Thursday and Tuesday NOT Wednesday is hooker night."

"Wow! You keep track of when I have sex? No wonder your wives left you."

"No, but every Tuesday I call you, your message on your answering machine changes. During the week it says 'I'm not here. Leave a message after the beep…Beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep' and I can never leave a message, because you use the damn tape up. On Tuesdays it says 'Wilson, leave me alone. I'm getting my jollies off.' So what really happened?"

"Cameron felt the need to grace my cheek with her hand."

"Well, she obviously did it for a reason."

"No, she just likes to go around and slap her bosses."

"This might seem like a stupid question, but what did you say to her?"

"Why do you think I said something? Maybe she likes it rough."

"A girl doesn't slap you, because she wants to sleep with you, she slaps you because you said something hurtful."

"You're impossible. I just mentioned to her that her outfit was a little bit trashy."

"What is she wearing?"

"Why do you care?" House's eyes peered through Wilson's, but regretted it once he saw the look on Wilson's face. He knew Wilson could sense the hidden jealously.

"Ah-ha!" Wilson pointed an accusing finger at House, while House rolled his eyes in frustration. "She looks beautiful, and you don't want any younger hotter guys to hit on her, especially Chase."

"Bye Wilson." House got up and proceeded to walk out the door, but was stopped by Wilson.

"House? Here." Wilson handed House some money. "Go buy yourself some lunch. I'd join, but I got to finish up these files."

"Thanks, Jimmy. I'm glad we had this talk."

House left Wilson's office and headed for the elevator. Wilson peered his head out the door and waited until House was safely behind the elevator's closed doors, before he made his way to House's office to talk to Cameron.

"Knock, Knock." Wilson clenched his fist, knocked on the door and opened it at the same time. He was met with eyes of sadness. In attempt to hide traces from her crying, Cameron quickly wiped her cheeks one more time.

"Hey, Wilson, what's up?"

"What did he do?"

"What are you talking about?"

"There's no way checking the mail can be that depressing. If I know House as well as I think I do, then I know he said something hurtful." Cameron stood up and ran into Wilson's arms, grabbing tight around his torso.

"Oh Wilson!" Tears just poured out of her eyes, forming a wet spot on his chest.

She noticed this and lifted her head up. "Oh, I'm so sorry."

"No, don't worry about it. You want to talk about it?"

"Not here."

"How about this, we'll talk about it over dinner tonight?"

"I'd love that. Thank you, Wilson."

"I'll pick you up at 7."

"You need directions?"

"Those would be helpful."

Cameron ran around House's desk and grabbed some paper from the printer. She scribbled down her address and phone number just in case Wilson got lost. She handed the paper to Wilson and kissed him on the cheek.

"Thank you. You're the best."

"Just don't let him get to you."

"I'll try. See you tonight."

"Bye, Cameron."

Unbeknownst to Wilson and Cameron, House had forgotten the latest test results of his patient in his office, and he had planned on going over them while he was having lunch. As House took the elevator back up to the third floor and got off, he came across Wilson and Cameron in his office just as Cameron kissed Wilson on the cheek. Rage surged through his body as he saw his best friend kiss his Ally. House refused to see the opposite that in fact Cameron had initiated the kiss, if it was even a kiss at all. A peck on the cheek hardly constitutes as a kiss, but it was a kiss no less in House's eyes. He had half the mind to break into his office right then and there, but realized it would serve no purpose. He needed to calm down. He needed to find solace in the bottom of a bottle of scotch. House waited until Wilson and Cameron left his office to go and grab his backpack and the test results. He took the elevator down to the clinic and limped out of the hospital. He headed home, eager for a taste of that bittersweet liquid as it trickles down his throat.


	26. Chapter 26

House raced home and practically ran into his apartment. He went over to the table that had the picture of him in front of Johnson Base Camp, tore the ribbon off, and threw the picture frame against the wall. Pieces of glass fell and shattered all over the ground. The glass shards that managed to hit the wall, scraped the wallpaper, creating long jagged marks. When the frame hit the ground it broke into pieces. The only thing that remained intact was the picture itself, and the ribbon that House saved from his destructive behavior.

He limped over to the picture and hastily snatched it between his right index finger and thumb, cutting his hand. Blood began to drip onto it, blotting House's face out. House placed the untarnished ribbon on top of the piano before limping into the bathroom. Searching through the medicine cabinet, he grabbed some white gauze and surgical tape. He wrapped the bandage around his right hand and pulled it to tighten it. Holding the makeshift bandage in place with his right middle finger, House grabbed the surgical tape with his left, clenched it between his teeth, and ripped it.

After House wrapped his hand up, he dragged himself into the kitchen. His temper only increased as he flung each cabinet open, in search of his favorite mind altering liquid, Dewar's Scotch. House checked every cabinet except the one above the refrigerator. Grasping his cane in one hand, he pointed the crooked end towards the handle and hooked it through his cane. He pulled the door open and saw the bottle glisten as the overhead light hit it. Unhooking his cane from the cabinet handle, House inched his cane further in and caught it behind the bottle, pulling it forward. The bottle came tumbling forward, rolling off the refrigerator and into the palm of House's hand.

House decided to forego getting a glass. He wanted to drink straight from the bottle. He wanted to feel his lips around the glass neck. He wanted to be able to gulp as much as his lungs would let him.

House hobbled into his living room and sat on his couch. House took the bottle into his hand and swished it in a circle, watching the liquid swirl, before he pressed it to his mouth. He surrounded it with his lips, tilted it, and the amber liquor slid to the back of his mouth and down his throat. After a few swigs, House lips pulled back, exposing his teeth, as they reacted to the bitter taste of the alcohol.

The hours passed as he stared blankly at the television screen. His mind and heart were elsewhere. They were with Cameron. His eye's were now hazy and glossed over with a light film. His head began to pound, but that didn't stop him from stumbling over to the piano bench and sitting down. Lifting the cover off of the piano keys, House trailed his finger tips along the ivory buttons, leaving slightly partial fingerprints behind.

The melody soon flooded his apartment, echoing off the walls as it filled every space, bringing with it sadness. It was full of hope and despair at the same time, and it wasn't any well-known tune. In fact, it wasn't known at all. The song traveled from House's heart to his fingers, through his finger tips and onto the keys. It was a melody for Ally. House's playing was interrupted by a loud knocking at his door…


	27. Chapter 27

Hey guys, there is one more chapter after this one. Thanks for sticking with the story. I appreciate all your comments, and I hope you enjoyed the story. More feedback please 3

Cameron left the hospital in a state of sadness. House had really hurt her feelings. It pained her to see him revert back to his old self, hiding behind a defensive wall. She longed to see the caring and open man she witnessed in her apartment. She wanted him to open his heart to her. She needed him to admit he knows who she is and that the tragedy they experienced 26 years ago affected him the same way it did her.

Wilson picked her up promptly at 7. Cameron was in her bathroom putting the last finishing touches on herself, when she heard a knock at her door. She stumbled down the hallway towards the door as she tried to slip her feet in her shoes. She unlocked it and yelled for Wilson to come in as she ran back into the bathroom to grab her earrings. Walking back into the living room and clasping her earrings, she made her way towards Wilson.

"Ready to go?"

"Yeah."

Wilson laid his hand on Cameron's shoulder, and she looked up into his calm chocolate circles. He gave her a reassuring smile as if to say "It's going to be okay", and they stepped out of her apartment and into his car.

The drive was short, only lasting about 10 minutes, but it seemed like an eternity. Cameron leaned against the glass window and stared at the scenery as it passed by. The trees, street lights, and other cars went by like one big blur. The whole world seemed to be moving at lightning speed, while she sat in the front passenger seat suspended in time.

Cameron hadn't realized Wilson had pulled up to the restaurant. Her mind was in a daze, her thought process foggy.

"Cameron, we're here."

"Wha-huh? Sorry, Wilson."

"It's okay. I understand."

Cameron glanced up at the big red sign that bore the name _Cafe Chardonnay._ The red neon lights glazed over her green irises, masking her melancholic spirit. Wilson got out of the car and opened the door for Cameron. He took her hand in his and helped her out and onto the curb.

Wilson and Cameron walked into the restaurant. The atmosphere was romantic. Each table was accentuated by a single tealight candle. The lighting was dim and a soft blues rhythm could be heard swirling around the room. Couples sat alone at their tables, holding each other's hands, watching each other's every movement, and whispering words of love. This made Cameron uneasy for two reasons; one she didn't want Wilson getting the wrong idea and two she wished the lovely couple sitting in the corner out of view were House and her. She wished House was cupping her chin with his hand, penetrating her green gems. She wished House was leaning in close enough to feel his warm breath upon her lips. She wished House was brushing his soft pouting lips against her mouth. This made her subconsiously reach her hand up and trace the outline of her mouth.

"Cameron?"

"Huh? Yeah?"

"I know what you're thinking, but they have the best Chicken Marsala this side of Jersey."

"Oh no, I wasn't think-well actually I was, but seeing all these couples here-" Her voice broke. Her words were stopped by the sudden lump in her throat. Tears began to form in her eyes. Wilson looked down at her and wiped away the ones that were beginning to fall.

"Let's try to enjoy ourselves okay?"

"Okay."

"We'll talk when you're ready." Cameron mouthed the words thank you before Wilson turned and walked towards the hostess.

"Reservation for Wilson."

"Wilson...Wilson...Ahh! Dr. James Wilson, right this way."

Wilson extended his hand and wrapped it around Cameron's, pulling her with him. The hostess led them to a small booth in the back.

"Your waiter will be right with you."

"Thank you." Not a moment later the waiter was at their beck and call.

"May I start you off with anything to drink?"

"I'll have a Miller Light and the lady will have a scotch."

"No, I'll just have a glass of water, if you don't mind."

"I'll be right back with your drinks."

"Not drinking tonight?"  
"I don't have the strength."

Wilson couldn't think of a response and soon there was an aura of awkward silence hanging over their heads. Both picked up their menus and read them twice, trying to think of a way to break the tension. Luckily for them, the waiter came with their drinks.

"Here you go. Are you ready to order?" Wilson brought the menu down from his face so only his forehead and eyes were exposed. He looked at Cameron for a response, in which she gave a slight nod. Cameron glanced up at the waiter and spoke,

"I'll have the Caesar salad."

"And I'll have the Chicken Marsala."

"I'll get your orders for you as quick as possible." The waiter gathered the menus up in his hands and headed for the kitchen.

Wilson took a sip of his beer and stared at Cameron, who was playing with her straw. He was watching her push the lemon down towards the bottom of her glass with the end of it, when the dull and questioning tone of her voice interrupted him.

"Has House always been like this?"

"A mean manipulative egotistical jerk?"

Wilson aroused a slight giggle within Cameron, "Wow! You're subtle."

"Sorry, but he somehow doesn't fit the description of Mr. Perfect. The answer to your question is yes, but he has gotten worse."

"Stacy?"

"Yeah, she had a lot to do with it, but I also believe he brings it upon himself. He chooses to be miserable. He refuses to enjoy life and the gifts it brings."

"What did Stacy do? House started to tell me, but his phone rang."

"You know about his infarction right?"

"Yes."

"Well, when House asked to be put in a medically induced coma, so he could sleep through most of the pain, Stacy automatically became his medical proxy, because he was no longer able to make decisions concerning his medical state. She went behind his back and had the surgeons remove the dead muscle in his leg. She originally wanted to amputate, but House wouldn't let her. After House left the hospital, he gradually pushed Stacy out of his life. She had betrayed him. She had betrayed his trust, and House couldn't handle that. Most of all, she broke his heart. Eventually, Stacy left him. She couldn't take the constant bickering, spouts of ignorance, and periods of loneliness."

"That explains a lot. Is there no hope?"

"There's hope, but it's going to take a strong-willed woman to break through those protective barriers of his."

Cameron turned her attention to her water and stared at the frozen ice cubes floating along the top. She dipped her finger in and brought it out to trail the edge of the opening of her glass. Not taking her eyes of her drink, she began to talk.

"You know when we went out the first night I was hired, and I told you about my childhood?"

"Of course."

"Well, there was a bombing at one of the base camps my father was stationed at. I was injured pretty badly. A stack of humvee tires fell on me. There was his boy-"

"Stop!" Wilson's eyes shot wide open and glared at Cameron. Wilson's sudden outburst made Cameron nervous. She had no idea why Wilson was staring at her like this. It was frightening to say the least.

"What?! What did I say?"

"You're ALLY!"

"Don't call me that." This statement was filled with venom as it flew through Cameron's mouth. Wilson was taken aback by her sudden anger.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to offend you. I just-"

"Oh my god, Wilson! No, don't apologize. It's my fault. I am so sorry, but no one has ever called me that except House. I won't let them. But how do you know I'm Ally? Well, nevermind that was kind of a stupid question. House told you about me?"

"He not only told me, but he basically admitted to me that he loved you."

Cameron's heart skipped a beat. It began to pump faster, quickening her pulse. A sudden wave of dizziness clouded her head, but she soon shook it off. Thoses words stung her, but in a good way. They embedded themselves into her fragile heart and wandering mind.

"He loves me?"

"Yes, ever since the first time he saw you." _Oh my god. He loves me..._

"Did he know I was Ally this whole time?"

"I don't know. All I know is that he didn't want to hire you, because your name was Allison, and it reminded him too much of his childhood."

"You know, he came to my house yesterday to see if I was okay? He was suppose to take me out Monday night, but he was late, so I got drunk, because I didn't think he was coming. He came over, but I don't remember anything else. The next morning I didn't show up at work, because I had a splitting headache, and I couldn't even pick the phone up to call anyone. All of a sudden, I hear a knock at the door, and I open it. There he was, standing on my doorstep. He helped me get freshened up and sat with me on the sofa. I began to drift off, nuzzling myself on his chest. He started telling me about his childhood, thinking I had fallen asleep. His phone rang, so I didn't get the whole story, but when he left he called me 'Ally'. That's how I knew he was Greg. I always knew there was something familiar about him, those blue crystal eyes of his, but I was so young, that I thought maybe my mind was playing tricks on me. I questioned him and he denied it, so I left it at that. But now that I know it's him and he knows it's me, all I want to do is hold him. Wilson, I need him to tell me the truth. I need to see him. I have too."

"Let me drive you."

"But our food..." The food hadn't come yet, but it should be out any minute.

"Don't worry about it. You need to go and get your true love back."

And with that, Wilson shoved his hand in his pocket, grabbed his wallet, and threw 2 one hundred dollar bills on the table. Cameron practically ran out of the restaurant and into Wilson's car. She kept bugging him to go faster, her anxiousness was getting the best of her. 

"Can't you go any faster?"

"I'm already going well over the speed limit, and I can't afford to get pulled over, especially after having a beer at the restaurant."

Cameron let a small annoyed groan from her mouth. She wasn't really mad at Wilson. She knew he was already speeding a little bit too much, but she needed to get to House. If she didn't get there soon, she was going to explode.

Wilson finally got there and pulled up along side the sidewalk. Cameron gave him a quick peck on the cheek.

"Thank you for everything."

"No problem. Now go get him."

Cameron smiled and pushed the door open. She waved to Wilson as he drove off and stood there looking at the row of apartment buildings. In the car, Wilson had told her House's apartment number, but her mind was reeling with so many thoughts that it went in one ear and right out the other. She walked down the sidewalk, glancing at the numbers on the door, hoping one would spark her memory. As she got closer to the end, a soft melody flooded her ears. She was drawn to it like a moth to a flame. She followed the notes, until they carried her to the doorstep of apartment 221. She leaned her ear against the door and heard the most beautiful yet sorrowful song. It's rhythm wrapped around her heart and pulled her closer. This was it. This was House's apartment. Clenching her fist, she lifted it, and knocked on the door...


	28. Chapter 28

Last Chapter! I hope you guys like it, and I hope you guys liked the story as a whole! Feedback is appreciated. Let me know if it was written well or not. You guys might be in luck, since I kind of left the story hanging a little in the end, I might write just one more chapter to finish it up. Not quite sure, because I, myself, like the ending. I didn't want to ruin this story by putting a little smut into it. I think everything House/Cam needed to tell each other happens in this chapter. You never know though, so leave comments! THANKS!

Cameron's ears caught the sudden slamming of piano keys as her knock filled the apartment. She leaned in and pressed her ear against the door and heard the all too familiar thumping of a cane shaped object against the floor. She could hear the sound coming closer and the mumbling of House from within. She couldn't tell if he was yelling curse words or not, but his speech was slurred, which was a sign he had been drinking. Cameron braced herself as the door swung open, and she became face to face with those mysterious blue eyes.

"What are you doing here?" He sneered through his teeth, a little bit of spit escaping his mouth.

"We need to talk."

"Where's your lover boy?"

"What are you talking about?"

"You know what I'm talking about. Don't try and deny it. You like Wilson. I saw you two in my office."

"When?"

"Today. I saw you kiss him."

"On the cheek, and that hardly constitutes as a kiss."

"I don't need this. Go and talk to someone who cares, like your new boy toy, Wilson." House placed his bandaged hand on the door and began to close it, when he was stopped by a delicate petite body pushing it back open.

"What did you do?"

"Nothing."

"You're lying." Cameron grabbed House's hand and examined it.

"Oww! Stop it! Let go!"

"No, not until you tell me what happened!"

"Will you stop your yelling? Get in here. I don't want my neighbors to think I'm running a brothel."

House dragged Cameron in by her arm and led her to the couch. She took his hand up into hers and untied the bandage. She looked at his injured fingers that were covered with long gashes and were now encrusted with dried blood.

"You need stitches."

"No, I'll be fine."

"House, how did this happen?" Cameron's voice was full of concernment.

"I broke a picture frame, not a big deal."

"House! You have one inch slash marks across your hand. I think that's a big deal."

"Since when do you care?"

"I've always cared."

"Really? It didn't seem that way when you and Wilson were in my office together."

"How many times do I have to tell you! It was a peck on the-"

Cameron was stopped by House's lips crushing against hers. He took his hand and swept it up behind her head, tangling his fingers in her soft curls. He pulled her head closer, intensifying the kiss. Sparks passed between each other's mouths as their tongues explored and caressed the other. Cameron's body melted into the crook of House's neck. It was everything she had expected. The energy that surged between their bodies was like nothing she had ever experienced. The feeling she received as House's tongue grazed the inside of her mouth, assured her that they were meant to be together. He was her Greg, and she was his Ally. But she suddenly grew stiff. She wasn't going to give in just yet. She couldn't, not before House told her the truth. She flattened her hands and placed them in front of House's shoulders, pushing him away from her.

"What do you think you are doing?"

"Kissing you?"

"Why?"

"It was the only way to get you to shut up."

"Why do you have to be such a jerk?"

"Because it was the only occupation left."

Cameron shot up from the couch and started pacing back and forth. House became uneasy and started shifting in his seat. He didn't know what to expect from her. She finally turned her head towards him and stared at him with her piercing green eyes.

"Stop! I can't handle this! One minute you're accusing me of sleeping with Wilson, and the next you're kissing me. What do you want from me, House? Because I can only handle so much. I've put up with your rudeness and lies for too long. I came here to talk to you, and we are going to talk. You're going to tell me the truth, whether you like it or not."

"Lies? When have I ever lied to you?"

"Don't play stupid. I know who you are, and I know you know who I am."

House's body tensed and his hands became sweaty and clammy. _She figured it out. She knows who I am. I shouldn't have kissed her. This is just going to create more problems._

"I don't know what you are talking about and as for the kiss, it's the alcohol talking."

"Don't try and blame it on your drinking. You're the one who chose to drink. That doesn't make you not responsible for your actions."

"Cameron, what do you want me to say?"

"I want you to say you remember me. I want you to say that you missed me after that day and that you have missed me ever since. I want you to say that you see me in your dreams, and your heart aches when you wake up to see me not lying next to you. I want you to say 'I love you, Ally. Always have and always will.'"

Her eyes began to form puddles of tears in her lower eyelids. They covered her pupils, making her vision blurry. The tears threatened to fall with each word. Finally, it was too much. Streams of salty water came tumbling out of her eyes and down her cheeks, dripping off her chin and onto the floor.

House was stumped. His brain tried to formulate a response. Anything would do at this point in time. He preferred a sarcastic remark, so she would get fed up and leave, but his heart wouldn't let him. He just sat there, staring at the floor. He didn't have the nerve to look up into her eyes.

"Say something, please?"

He couldn't refrain anymore. He tilted his head up and was met with the most beautiful green eyes. They were filled with tears, but that only served to accent their color. It scared House that they had the power to see right through him, but he got his courage up and spoke.

"Wait here."

House lifted himself off the couch and walked over to his piano, grasping the red ribbon in his hand. Cameron watched him as the dark figure made his way back to the couch. Glancing at his clenched fist, she saw the end of red silky ribbon sticking out of the space between his knuckles. He took his hand, facing his knuckles upward, and opened his fingers, revealing a pool of red ribbon twined in the middle of his palm. Pinning it between his thumb and finger, House picked it up and let it unravel and cascade down. At the sight her ribbon, Cameron's heart dropped. _He had kept it after all these years. _It brought a faint smile to her face, and she combed her fingers through her hair as if to feel for the spot her missing ribbon once lay tied in a bow. He handed her the ribbon. Grasping it in her small hand, she looked up pleadingly into his eyes for an answer.

"I believe that is yours. I meant to give it back to you, the day I took it, but I never got the chance. I kept it all these years, because it reminded me of you, and I couldn't bear to get rid of it in hopes that some day we might find each other again." House broke eye contact and focused his attention on the carpet before talking again."You should take it. It belongs to you not me. I can't tell you I love you and want to be with you. It's not fair to you or me."

"But...Wha-Why?" Cameron looked up at House, her eyes reddened and moistened with tears.

"Because, I'm not good enough for you. I can't give you the life you deserve. I can't be the man who can go running with you in the morning or go on a midnight walk. I'll just drag you down. I'll just be a nuisance. I'll become a problem rather than a blessing."

"House, you could never drag me down. The only way you could is by not giving us a chance. Don't you understand? I've dreamt about this day ever since the we were separated from each other 26 years ago. When I came to work for you, I always knew there was something familiar about you, but when I questioned you, you denied it. I was young, so I figured that my memory wasn't as good, but when you were in my apartment that morning and I heard you say, "Goodbye, Ally", it hit me. You are Greg. How could I have forgotten those blue eyes of yours, so definitive, so telling, so vulnerable. Then I realized why I didn't remember you, the vulnerability I saw all those years ago was gone. It was replaced by bitterness. Why? Why would you let yourself get so closed off from society?"

"Because people are just a given disappointment. If I don't care about anybody, it won't hurt."

"You do care, you care about me. I can see it in your eyes."

"What you see, is an old cripple, who lives a miserable life."  
"I don't believe that. I refuse to see it."

"WHY is it so hard for you to understand?! I don't love you."

"Yes, you do, because Wilson said so."

"You talked to Wilson about me?"

"Why do you think we were in your office?! It was right after you made fun of my outfit, and basically called me trashy. He found me crying my eyes out and was there to comfort me. Something you're obviously incapable of doing."

"Then why don't you just run off with him?"

"I don't want him, House! I want you! Don't you understand? I have always wanted you. I only hung out with Wilson, because he knows you better than me, and I was trying to figure out why you act the way you do. Don't you see? He was helping us. He wants us to be together. I want us to be together. The only person who doesn't is you."

By now, arms were flailing, voices were rising, and spit was flying. Cameron was on one side of the coffee table, while House was on the other, both yelling never yielding from their positions. Daggers were shooting out of both of their mouths, stabbing the others' heart.

"We can't be together."

"We can't or you won't?"

"Both. It's for the best."

"You don't know what the best is for me. You're not there when I wake up crying from nightmares about the bombing. You're not there when I clutch my heart everytime I see those beautiful blue eyes invading my dreams. Stop telling me what is best for me! I'm not five years old anymore!"

As the last words escaped through her mouth, Cameron leaped on top the coffee table and jumped down in front of House. She trailed her hands up his jawline, pinched his earlobes, and forcefully pulled his face towards hers, until his lips came smacking down on hers. She viciously darted her tongue into his mouth, tracing the roof of it. All her emotions running through and directing that single muscle, telling it to rub itself up against his moistened inner cheeks.

House was hesitant at first. He didn't want to give in, but the feel of Cameron's arms wrapped around him, and her body fitting perfectly into the curve of his, sent him over the edge. He returned the kiss, but with much more ferocity. He glided his hands up the back of her skull and dug his nails into her scalp, tugging and pulling, trying to get her as close as he could.

Cameron broke the intensity of the kiss and began to suck at his bottom lip. She then made her way down to the nape of his neck, leaving a trail of kisses. House couldn't wait any longer. This kind of play was meant for the bedroom. His worriment was soon lost in his yearning and wanting of Cameron. He no longer believed he would hurt her. He was going to be in this for the long haul no matter what. He couldn't bother himself anymore with negative thoughts. Tonight, his new life with Ally begins.

House cupped her chin and took her into his mouth once more. While exploring the heavenly structure of her mouth, he took his hands and grabbed the V of her top and ripped it open. Buttons flew everywhere. Cameron lifted her hands under House's shirt and began to explore his chest, teasing and tugging at his hair. With their lips glued together, they stumbled over each other and into the bedroom...

El Fin


End file.
